The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has announced the withdrawal of more than 11,000 police personnel from VIP security duties following a presidential directive aimed at strengthening frontline policing across the country.
Speaking during a media briefing with senior police commanders in Abuja on Thursday, the IGP described the decision as a strategic realignment designed to boost security presence in communities and improve national safety.
Egbetokun stressed that the move was driven by necessity, not sentiment, explaining that manpower must be concentrated where public safety needs are highest.
“In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately,” he said.
He noted that the redeployed officers would reinforce security in rural and urban areas and support large-scale population protection, intensified patrols, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response to emerging threats.
The IGP also assured that the implementation of the directive would be managed with caution to prevent impersonation, misinformation, or abuse by criminal elements. Detailed guidelines are expected to follow.
“The withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it,” he emphasised.
Egbetokun linked recent security incidents—including mass abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, Borno, and Niger states—to the urgency of repositioning the force. He acknowledged public concerns but maintained that security agencies had responded swiftly to the attacks.
“We may not be doing enough, but it is not that we are not working. We are actually doing something. But as leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard,” he said.
Highlighting recent operational successes, the IGP revealed that 8,202 suspects had been arrested nationwide for various crimes, while 232 kidnapped victims were rescued.
The arrests include 451 for armed robbery, 356 for kidnapping, 534 for murder, 129 for culpable homicide, 173 for unlawful possession of firearms, 312 suspected rapists, 282 suspected cultists, and more than 6,000 others for serious offences. The police also recovered 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles.
Egbetokun further disclosed that the police were deepening intelligence gathering, expanding community engagement, and strengthening collaboration with other security agencies to outmanoeuvre criminal networks.
With the festive season approaching—a period known for increased travel and heightened criminal activity—the IGP directed state commands to activate enhanced visibility and rapid-response deployments.
These measures include expanded highway patrols, reinforced foot patrols in motor parks, anti-robbery operations on major roads, intelligence-driven rural patrols, and the deployment of drones and AI-backed surveillance tools.
“As we approach the festive season, criminals will seek to exploit the roads. Therefore, the roads must be decisively dominated by proactive policing and preparedness,” he said.
He ordered all commands to implement comprehensive festive security plans covering national highways, market routes, township entry and exit points, and community travel corridors.
Hobnob News reports that President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed the reassignment of police personnel from VIP duties to core policing functions after a high-level security meeting in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
