President Bola Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of not less than 100,000 police officers currently attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) and politically exposed individuals, directing their immediate redeployment to core policing duties and counter-insurgency operations nationwide.
The directive followed a high-level security meeting held on Sunday 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 requiring armed protection will henceforth be guarded by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, not the police.
The move comes amid mounting public anger over escalating mass abductions and widening security gaps, worsened by the diversion of thousands of police officers to private protection roles.
A recent European Union Agency for Asylum report estimated the Nigeria Police Force strength at 371,800 officers, serving a population of 236.7 million, noting that the nation suffers acute policing deficits as a result of excessive VIP deployments.
Tinubu’s order follows controversy surrounding the abduction of students of St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State. Reports indicate that soldiers guarding the school allegedly withdrew shortly before armed bandits stormed the premises, prompting outrage from Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, who demanded a military investigation.
The Defence Headquarters confirmed on Sunday that it has launched a review into the troop movements to determine whether lapses occurred.
The Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj. Gen. Warrah Idris, has ordered troops to maintain “overwhelming pressure” on the kidnappers until every abducted child is rescued. Senior military officials say operations are “coordinated and precise.”
Community leaders in Papiri expressed renewed hope following the on-ground assessment by top commanders.
In a sweeping response to rising threats, the Kebbi State Government announced the immediate closure of all public and private secondary schools, as well as state-owned tertiary institutions except the College of Nursing Sciences, Birnin Kebbi.
Commissioners Halima Bande and Issa Abubakar-Tunga said the measure is a “necessary precaution.”
However, former military officer and security adviser, Col. Ahmed Usman (retd.), criticised repeated school closures, warning that the policy emboldens criminal groups and disrupts the region’s educational future.
Though, relief spread through some Niger communities over the weekend as 50 pupils abducted on Friday were released from captivity. According to the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, 253 students and 12 staff members remain unaccounted for.
In Kwara State, 38 worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, regained freedom on Sunday after a coordinated operation by soldiers, DSS, police tactical units, and local vigilantes.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s spokesman said the breakthrough followed President Tinubu’s direct intervention, including cancellation of his planned trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa.
