The Nigeria Police Force has renewed its warning to officers against escorting Very Important Persons while dressed in plain clothes. The leadership described the practice as a breach of long standing rules guiding the Special Protection Unit.
The reminder was issued through a wireless message sent from the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Protection at Force Headquarters to protection units across the country. The communication, marked CB: 4001/DOPS/SPU/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.20, repeated earlier instructions from the Inspector General of Police ordering the withdrawal of officers from unauthorised VIP duties and banning escorts carried out in mufti.
The signal noted that some personnel have continued to defy these directives. The message stressed that following VIPs in mufti goes against SPU procedures and warned that offenders will face disciplinary action.
The instruction was circulated to police commands in all regions, including Kano, Lagos, Makurdi, Benin, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Bauchi, Abeokuta, Akure, Awka, Enugu, Ibadan, Minna, Calabar, Asaba, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Owerri and Kaduna. Units were told to acknowledge receipt and comply immediately.
The development follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent order directing the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs nationwide. The decision was announced during a security meeting in Abuja attended by senior military and intelligence chiefs. Under the new arrangement, VIPs in need of protection are expected to apply for armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Subsequent internal instructions show that the police have started implementing the directive. A memo issued by the Commanding Officer of SPU Base 16 in Lagos ordered all personnel attached to VIPs to return to base before the end of 24 November 2025. The memo stressed that all officers must report back without delay and attend a lecture parade where attendance will be monitored closely.
