President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed ministers and senior government officials to obtain his approval before requesting police escorts for official assignments.
The new directive was issued during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The president’s instruction follows his November 23 order withdrawing police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) nationwide after a security meeting with the service chiefs.
Under the revised security framework, VIPs who require protection are expected to request armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
To strengthen security, Tinubu also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers and pledged collaboration with state governments to upgrade police training facilities.
He noted that recent incidents including killings, abductions, and attacks on schools, necessitated a more efficient deployment of security assets.
Addressing the FEC, Tinubu insisted that the recall of police officers from VIPs, VVIPs and ministers must be strictly enforced.
“I have told the Inspector-General of Police, and I hope the Minister of Police Affairs is here to implement the directive. If you have any problem with security due to the nature of your assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance,” he said.
He instructed the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Minister of Police Affairs, and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to ensure full compliance.
The Minister of Interior was also tasked with working with the IGP and NSCDC to fill gaps created by the withdrawal.
Tinubu emphasised that police officers are primarily trained to protect the public, not individuals of privilege.
He further directed the NSA and DSS to review the country’s security architecture and make necessary adjustments.
The president also called for stronger local security structures, including forest guards, given rising threats across states.
He said the ongoing livestock reform must continue, directing the Minister of Livestock Development to identify areas suitable for ranching and reminding stakeholders that land administration rests with state governments.
On the Senate floor, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) protested the withdrawal of his only police orderly, saying the policy must apply equally to all Nigerians, including top political officeholders, business elites, and celebrities.
He argued that while his security aide had been withdrawn in strict compliance with the president’s order, many individuals with no public office still moved around with heavy police escorts.
“It should be done across the board,” he said.
“Let us see what happens from the office of the President to the Vice President, the Senate President, the Speaker, ministers, governors, business concerns, even the sons and daughters of political officeholders.”
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin acknowledged the concern, saying Senate leadership was engaging the relevant authorities.
He asked the Senate Committee on Police Affairs to investigate allegations of selective enforcement.
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka also raised concerns, criticising what he described as an excessive deployment of security personnel around Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son.
Soyinka recounted an incident at a hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he mistakenly assumed a film was being shot due to the large presence of armed men, only to realise it was Seyi’s security detail.
“There were at least 15 heavily armed security personnel,” he said.
“They looked sufficient to take over a small neighbouring country like Benin.”
He added that such displays distort security priorities and send the wrong message about the use of public resources.
“Children should know their place. They are not potentates. They are not heads of state,” he said, warning that excessive protection for individuals who hold no public office undermines Nigeria’s security architecture.
