Report VIPs using police escorts, Presidency urges Nigerians
The Presidency has appealed to Nigerians to help monitor and report violations of President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police escorts from private individuals and VIPs.
The call was made by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, during an interview on TVC.
He said public participation would strengthen enforcement of the policy, which aims to redirect police personnel toward core security duties.
Bwala urged citizens to document any instance where police officers are seen accompanying individuals who are no longer entitled to such protection.
“If you identify a celebrity, a private sector person, or any individual who has police against the executive order of the president, as much as you can, capture evidence, whether a photograph or video,” he said.
He clarified that the directive does not strip all VIPs of police protection.
“Certain categories of government officials, he noted, will still receive security support based on the sensitivity of their roles.
“The order of the president to withdraw police from VIPs is not all-encompassing.
” There are critical people in government who will still have one form of security or another,” he added.
According to Bwala, where protection remains necessary, other agencies such as the State Security Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps may provide coverage instead of the police.
“It could be SSS, Civil Defence… but police have no business being with you,” he said.
The presidential aide stressed that the policy forms part of the administration’s broader effort to optimise the deployment of security assets, reduce misuse of police manpower, and enhance public safety.
The federal government has in recent months intensified reforms within security institutions, with authorities arguing that a significant number of officers assigned to VIPs are needed for frontline policing.
