By Hobnob News Desk
The Nigerian Police Force has activated a sweeping nationwide directive, ordering the immediate arrest of any officer found providing personal security details to private individuals or VIPs outside official government protection protocols. This decisive action directly follows a mandate issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at reforming security deployment across the country.
The IGP’s Urgent Mandate
A confidential police wireless message, dated November 30, 2025, and issued by the Inspector General of Police, was obtained by Hobnob News. The directive, marked “very important” and stressing that no further reminders would be issued, demands strict and immediate compliance from all formations.
The message, addressed to senior security figures including Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) across all Zones, the Mobile Police Force, VIP Protection Unit, Counter-Terrorism Force, and all State and Area Commands, emphasized the severity of non-compliance:
“Following the presidential directive to withdraw, all states to arrest any police officer found escorting any VIP in AOR yours. Disciplinary actions will also be activated against any erring supervising officer,” the memo stated.
The directive warns that any supervising officer who fails to enforce the order within their jurisdiction will also face disciplinary action.
Enforcement of the new policy is strictly restricted to the Compol X-Squads and the IGP Monitoring Unit (IGPMU), ensuring dedicated and centralized oversight of the operation.
Presidential Order and Redeployment
This police order follows an explicit directive issued by President Tinubu on Sunday, November 23, 2025, during a high-level security meeting in Abuja. The President mandated that all police officers currently assigned to provide security for VIPs be withdrawn and redeployed to focus on core policing responsibilities.
The meeting, which solidified the national security shakeup, involved top officials including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
The primary motivation behind the withdrawal is to strengthen policing across the country amid worsening insecurity, particularly in remote areas where limited manpower has hindered effective community protection.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs who require personal protection services are now mandated to request well-armed personnel exclusively from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). This measure is intended to curb the widespread misuse of police resources by private individuals and reallocate personnel to fight crime.
