VIP Police Withdrawal Mere Optics, Not Security Reform — ADC Tells Tinubu

 

…Says Nigeria’s security crisis requires structural overhaul, not media gestures

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP escorts, describing the move as political theatrics rather than a genuine security reform capable of addressing Nigeria’s deepening insecurity.

In a statement issued by its National Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the administration’s repeated return to the same “cosmetic measures” underscores its failure to grasp the depth and complexity of the nation’s security challenges.

According to the ADC, what Nigeria requires is a coordinated and modern national security strategy—one that brings together all security institutions as part of a unified counter-insurgency framework.

The full statement reads:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) notes with concern President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest directive withdrawing police personnel from VIP protection duties.

While the announcement may generate positive headlines, it lacks substance and does not address the structural issues fuelling insecurity across the country. Nigeria is grappling with terrorism, banditry, mass abductions and violent crime—realities that cannot be solved with public relations stunts.

This is not the first time such directives are being issued. In 2025 alone, similar orders were announced twice by the Inspector General of Police, presumably on presidential instruction—yet nothing changed.

Even if successful, the redeployment of VIP police escorts does not resolve the fundamental problem: by their training and orientation, many of these officers are not prepared, equipped or motivated for the complex demands of counter-insurgency operations.

The government’s claim that the move will free up 100,000 officers for core policing duties remains questionable. Numbers alone do not guarantee impact. Even the military—better trained and better equipped—continues to struggle against highly organised insurgent networks. Expecting ill-prepared police officers to succeed where seasoned soldiers are battling is unrealistic.

More troubling is the government’s decision to replace withdrawn police personnel with officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), whose core mandates revolve around disaster management, community protection and public safety education—not VIP protection.

Nigeria’s security challenges demand depth, not drama. What the country needs is systemic reform rooted in intelligence-driven operations, modernisation of defence assets, and institutional synergy. Without retraining, restructuring and reequipping the police and other security agencies, no redeployment—no matter how loudly announced—will deliver results.

The government must also provide transparency. Where is the evidence that 100,000 officers were assigned to VIPs? Where is the operational blueprint for their redeployment? What tools, logistics and frameworks exist to transition these officers from VIP duties to frontline security responsibilities?

Simply reshuffling personnel without a comprehensive strategy for combating terrorism and insurgency is an exercise in futility.

The ADC maintains that if the Tinubu administration is serious about restoring national security, it must move beyond announcements and photo-ops, and commit to a holistic overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture.