The Nigeria Police Force has mobilised a Special Enforcement Team to drive full compliance with President Bola Tinubu’s directive withdrawing police personnel from escort and guard duties for Very Important Persons (VIPs).
In a statement posted on Saturday on the Force’s X handle, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the enforcement operation began across Lagos State on December 6, 2025, at about 10:00 a.m.
He said officers of the team visited major checkpoints and high-traffic areas, among them the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and several strategic corridors of the state.
Hundeyin noted that initial assessments showed “satisfactory and commendable” compliance with the order, adding that no instance of unauthorised police escorts was recorded and no arrest was made.
The statement added, “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, reiterates the Force’s commitment to the full implementation of the presidential directive.
The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in redeploying its personnel to core policing duties aimed at enhancing general security, crime prevention, and the protection of lives and property across the country.”
He further assured Nigerians that enforcement of the policy would continue nationwide “without fear or favour,” urging citizens to support the ongoing effort to strengthen a more effective and people-oriented policing structure.
The development follows an earlier report by PUNCH Online that President Tinubu had ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs, directing their redeployment to frontline policing roles.
The President issued the directive on November 23 during a security meeting in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs will henceforth receive armed protection from operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of police personnel.
The statement added that the new policy seeks to free up police manpower for critical security assignments, especially in underserved communities, while bolstering the nation’s overall security architecture.