The Nigeria Police Force has begun a nationwide operation to arrest any officer providing unauthorised escort services to VIPs, following a fresh directive from the Presidency aimed at ending the widespread misuse of police personnel for private protection.
A wireless signal dated November 30, 2025, and signed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered strict and immediate compliance across all police formations. The memo—tagged “very important”—instructed commissioners of police, zonal AIGs, Mobile Police units, the VIP Protection Unit, Counter-Terrorism squads, and federal operational units to apprehend any officer found escorting individuals without proper authorisation.
“Following the presidential directive to withdraw, all states [are] to arrest any police officer found escorting any VIP in AOR yours,” the signal stated. It noted that disciplinary actions would also be taken against supervising commanders who fail to enforce the order.
According to the memo, only the Compol X-Squad and the IGP’s Monitoring Unit are authorised to carry out enforcement, with the police leadership stressing that no further reminders will be issued.
The enforcement drive follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive on November 23, 2025, ordering the withdrawal of police personnel attached to VIPs nationwide. The decision was reached during a high-level security meeting in Abuja attended by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the Inspector General of Police; and DSS Director-General, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
Under the revised security arrangement, VIPs requiring official escorts must now apply for armed protection through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) rather than the police.
According to Presidency officials, the policy is part of a broader strategy to combat rising insecurity, particularly in rural and underserved communities where police manpower has been severely depleted by the diversion of officers to private VIP guard duties.
