Fresh observations from Abuja and Lagos have raised serious doubts about the implementation of the presidential directive ordering the withdrawal of police and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel from VIP escorts.
On-the-ground reality shows that many officers are still being used for private errands, including school runs.
Despite public assurances from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, that VIP protection units have been scaled down in line with the directive, findings from field monitoring indicate otherwise.
Observations in key parts of both cities during peak hours revealed that police and DSS operatives remain heavily involved in unofficial duties for politically exposed persons and senior government officials.
Investigators who moved around Abuja and Lagos on Tuesday noted that several officers attached to influential individuals continued to shuttle children to and from school, accompany family members on personal movements, and perform errands unrelated to national security.
These activities were seen particularly around popular schools and residential districts in both cities.
“It is no longer about VIP escorts in the usual sense,” one observer said.
“The reality is that police officers and, in many cases, DSS operatives, are still being used to pick up children of VIPs from school, run personal errands, and handle private movements that have nothing to do with policing. Anyone who lives in Abuja or Lagos during school hours sees it every day. It is an open secret.”
Critics argue that if the police leadership wants Nigerians to believe the directive is being implemented, the process must be verifiable.
They suggest that citizens should be encouraged to anonymously submit videos or photographs of officers deployed for private duties, describing such evidence as the only credible measure of compliance.
According to them, the continued presence of armed escorts around VIP families underscores the gap between official statements and actual enforcement.
“Ask Nigerians to take photos or short clips of any officer escorting VIPs, picking up their kids, or carrying out personal errands,” a concerned citizen said.
“Let citizens submit these anonymously. Then we will see the real level of compliance.
“Nigerians get excited over any flamboyant announcement, but the truth remains that no meaningful withdrawal has happened.
“Walk around Abuja or Lagos at peak hours and you will see the same armed escorts, the same school-run convoys, and the same misuse of state security resources. Nothing has changed.”
Monitors who toured parts of Abuja said the situation was “unbelievable,” insisting that the bulk of the escorts observed on Tuesday morning and afternoon were engaged in school runs for children of senior government officials and businessmen.
“Nigeria is a joke,” one of the concerned citizens said.
They warn that until enforcement becomes visible and substantial, the police and DSS will continue to appear as institutions dedicated to the private comfort of VIPs rather than national security.
“Real reform will only start when actions match statements, not when press releases try to paint a picture that Nigerians can clearly see is not happening around them,” one of them said.
Background
On Monday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that the Nigerian Police Force had issued a nationwide directive ordering the immediate arrest of any officer found providing personal security to VIPs, following instructions from the presidency.
A confidential police wireless message obtained by SaharaReporters, dated November 30, 2025, and issued by the Inspector General of Police, instructed all state police commands and specialised units to strictly enforce the directive.
The message, addressed to senior officers including Department of Operations, Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Zones; Mobile Police Force, VIP Protection Unit, Counter-Terrorism Force and the Federal Operations Unit and all state and area commands, emphasised that any police officer caught escorting a VIP outside official duty areas would be immediately arrested.
On Sunday, November 23, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that police officers assigned to provide security for VIPs across the country be withdrawn from such duties and redeployed to focus on their core policing responsibilities.
The presidential directive was issued during a security meeting in Abuja, which brought together 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.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs seeking protection are required to request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The move comes amid worsening insecurity and as part of President Tinubu’s efforts to strengthen policing across the country, especially in remote areas where limited manpower has made it challenging for officers to protect and defend communities effectively.
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