The Nigeria Police Force has begun withdrawing officers assigned to provide security for high-profile individuals across the country, following an order from President Bola Tinubu.
A memo issued by the Special Protection Unit (SPU) instructed all personnel deployed to VIPs and special duties to return to their bases immediately. The directive is part of a wider effort to reorganise and streamline the nation’s security arrangements.
The document, signed by ASP Neji Veronica of SPU Base 16 in Lagos, was circulated publicly on Tuesday after being shared online by presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga. It ordered affected officers to report back to their stations no later than 24 November.
The memo stated that the withdrawal takes effect at once and affects all SPU officers attached to individuals and private locations nationwide.
“You are all warned to report back before the end of today,” it read, adding that officers must attend a mandatory briefing the following day, where attendance would be taken from the official nominal roll.
The move marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s long-standing practice of assigning police officers to politicians, business figures and other influential individuals, a system critics say has strained the country’s policing resources.
The Inspector-General of Police has recently faced increasing pressure to redeploy officers from private protection duties back to regular policing, amid rising insecurity in several states.