Tinubu orders full withdrawal of police from VIPs, tasks Shettima with ranch initiative
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday reaffirmed his directive to withdraw police officers attached to VIPs and redeploy them to core policing duties, expressing frustration over the slow pace of compliance.
Speaking moments before presiding over the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, Tinubu insisted that the order must be implemented without delay.
“I honestly believe in what I said… It should be effected. If you have any problem because of the nature of your assignment, contact the IGP and get my clearance,” he said.
To ensure no one is left vulnerable, Tinubu instructed the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to work with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to immediately deploy replacements where necessary.
He further directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the DSS to provide additional guidance and oversee full implementation of the policy.
“We are facing challenges of kidnapping. We need all the forces we have on the ground, fully utilised,” Tinubu stressed, adding that civil defence personnel would step in to provide VIP protection where needed.
READ ALSO: Tinubu holds emergency meeting with security chiefs
The President also revealed that forest guards will now be armed as part of broader security reforms.
“I have directed the NSA to arm our forest guards. Take it very seriously,” he said.
On livestock reforms, Tinubu mandated Vice-President Kashim Shettima to lead an initiative under the National Economic Council to identify, rehabilitate, and convert grazing reserves into ranches. According to him, this will reduce farmer-herder conflicts and transform the livestock sector into an economic asset.
“We must eliminate conflict areas and turn livestock reform into economic opportunities and prosperity,” he noted.
This renewed directive comes nearly three weeks after Tinubu first ordered the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs on November 23, following rising kidnappings across Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger States.
The earlier directive stipulated that VIPs requiring protection must now request armed NSCDC personnel, freeing police officers for community patrols, investigations, and school security.
The issue of excessive VIP security resurfaced on Tuesday when Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka criticised the large security entourage he saw accompanying Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son.
In a viral video, Soyinka described the entourage as “an excessively large battalion,” prompting him to contact the National Security Adviser for clarification.
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