IGP Egbetokun: Withdrawal of Police from VIPs Will Boost Frontline Security
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said on Thursday that the recent presidential directive withdrawing police officers from Very Important Persons (VIPs) is a strategic move to strengthen frontline policing and protect vulnerable communities nationwide.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja after a meeting with senior police commanders, Egbetokun said the decision was not influenced by sentiment but by the urgent need to deploy officers where public safety pressures are highest. He noted that the directive aligns with the core mission of the Nigeria Police Force — protecting citizens, communities, and public order.
According to the IGP, 11,566 officers previously assigned to VIP security have already been withdrawn and redeployed to critical policing duties.
“In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately,” he said.
Egbetokun explained that the redeployment will help expand security presence in rural and urban areas, support population protection, strengthen patrols, and enhance intelligence-led operations and rapid response to emerging threats.
He stressed that the process will be carefully managed to prevent misinformation or exploitation by criminals, adding that detailed guidelines will soon be issued.
“The withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it,” he said.
The IGP noted that recent incidents—including kidnappings in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states—underline the need to reposition the force and improve visibility and deterrence across the country. While security agencies responded swiftly to these attacks, he admitted that some Nigerians believe the police are not doing enough.
“We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working. We are actually doing something. But as leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard,” he said.
Egbetokun also highlighted recent operational gains. In the past weeks, the police arrested 8,202 suspects for various crimes and rescued 232 kidnapped victims. Arrests included 451 armed robbery suspects, 356 kidnapping suspects, 534 murder suspects, 129 culpable homicide suspects, 173 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms, 312 rape suspects, and 282 suspected cultists. Another 6,094 suspects were apprehended for other serious offences.
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The police also recovered 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles.
To outsmart criminals, the IGP said the force is adopting stronger intelligence frameworks, deeper community engagement, and tighter collaboration with other security agencies.
With the festive season approaching — a period of heightened travel — Egbetokun directed all state commands to intensify patrols, boost highway visibility, and deploy drones and AI-driven surveillance tools. He ordered expanded highway patrols, reinforced foot patrols in motor parks, anti-robbery operations on major routes, and intelligence-backed patrols in rural areas.
“The nation will soon experience its highest travel activity of the year. Criminals will attempt to exploit the roads. Therefore, the roads must be decisively dominated by proactive policing and preparedness,” he said.
His remarks follow President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Sunday instructing the withdrawal of police officers from VIP duties and their reassignment to core policing roles. The directive emerged from a security meeting in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
