11,566 Police Officers Redeployed from VIP Duties to Frontline Security

By Our Reporter 

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, said a total of 11,566 personnel have been withdrawn from VIP protection and are being immediately reassigned to critical areas, stating that the recent presidential directive to withdraw police personnel from VIP duties was a strategic move to reinforce frontline policing and protect vulnerable communities across the country. 

It would be recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last Sunday issued a directive, urging the police chief to reassign police officers from VIP security to core policing functions. 

Egbetokun made this known, while addressing senior police commanders in Abuja on Thursday, emphasizing that the decision was driven by the urgent need to deploy manpower where public safety demands were greatest. 

According to him, the withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it, explaining that the redeployment would enable the force to strengthen security in rural and urban areas, enhance patrols, conduct intelligence-led operations, and improve rapid response to emerging threats.

Egbetokun, who linked the policy shift to recent security challenges across the country, including mass abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, however, acknowledged that security agencies had been active. 

“We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working… as leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard," the police boss said.

Egbetokun highlighted recent operational successes, including the arrest of 8,202 suspects for various crimes and the rescue of 232 kidnapped victims as well as recovery of items, including 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles. 

Meanwhile, ahead of the festive season, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, has directed all state commands to activate enhanced security measures. 

The measures, according to him, include expanded highway patrols, drone surveillance, and AI-driven policing strategies to ensure public safety during the peak travel period.