President Bola Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of an estimated 100,000 police officers currently assigned to protect politicians and other VIPs, directing that they return to core policing duties as kidnapping and insurgent violence surge across northern Nigeria.
The directive, issued at a high-level security meeting in Abuja on Sunday, follows weeks of mass abductions, school closures, and public criticism of the country’s overstretched security architecture. Under the new policy, VIPs will receive protection from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, freeing up police officers for general security operations, including counter-insurgency work.
Announcing the move, the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the redeployment was intended to boost police presence in communities struggling with banditry and militant attacks. “Police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core duties,” he said. “The President is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities.”
The shift underscores long-standing concerns about Nigeria’s policing shortfall. A recent European Union Agency for Asylum report estimated the Nigeria Police Force’s strength at 371,800 officers—serving a population of more than 236 million—with a disproportionate number diverted to VIP protection. In many rural areas, police stations operate with minimal staffing, leaving communities vulnerable.
Successive police chiefs have promised to curtail the VIP protection unit but have repeatedly backed down. Tinubu has also approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers and pledged upgrades to training centres across the country.
The President’s directive comes amid growing outrage over the withdrawal of soldiers from St Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State—minutes before dozens of girls were abducted. Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has demanded answers, insisting his government had earlier raised intelligence warnings.
“We provided intelligence reports. We alerted them. So, who gave the order for troops to withdraw at that critical hour?” Idris asked.
Local traditional leaders corroborated the claim. The District Head of Maga, Muhammad Dantani, said soldiers were present around midnight but left “just a short time before the attack began”. Police officers at the school reportedly took cover when the attackers stormed the premises.
The military has launched a review of troop movements. Major General Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, said lapses would be addressed and rescue operations were ongoing.
Major General Warrah Idris, Theatre Commander of Operation Farsan Yamma, has ordered troops to intensify pressure on the abductors. “They must not be given any breathing space until every child is back home,” he said during an assessment visit.
Community leaders expressed cautious optimism. “Seeing the commanders on the ground reassures us,” one representative said.
y’s deepening insecurity remains an open question.
