Tinubu Directs NSCDC to Take Over Protection of VIPs Nationwide

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) will henceforth take over the responsibility of providing security protection for Very Important Persons (VIPs), ending the long-standing practice of deploying police officers as personal escorts.

The directive followed a high-level security meeting held on Sunday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, attended by service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). According to the Presidency, all police officers currently attached to VIPs will be withdrawn and reassigned to core policing duties across the country.

The move is part of a broader security restructuring aimed at strengthening police presence in communities, especially remote areas that currently suffer manpower shortages. The President noted that the police must return to their primary roles of crime prevention, law enforcement, and community protection.

Under the new arrangement, VIPs who desire armed protection must formally request officers from the NSCDC, which will now serve as the primary agency for such assignments.

President Tinubu’s directive comes amid ongoing efforts to improve Nigeria’s internal security architecture. He has already approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers and is working with state governments to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.

Those present at the meeting included the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and DSS Director-General, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.