Despite a presidential directive to bolster frontline policing, officers are evading withdrawal through impersonation and corruption, SaharaReporters learns.
The high-profile directive by President Bola Tinubu to withdraw all police officers from non-essential VIP protection duties has been systematically undermined, with personnel returning to their posts through disguises, bribery, and administrative manipulation, credible police sources have exclusively told SaharaReporters.
According to multiple insiders, officers affected by the withdrawal order have resorted to wearing uniforms of vigilante groups and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to evade detection while continuing their security duties as before. In other cases, police guards have adopted plain clothes, posing as private drivers for VIPs while still providing armed protection.
The directive, issued by President Tinubu to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, in November, was intended officers from private guard duties and redeploy them to core policing roles to tackle the nation’s escalating insecurity crisis. Officers were instructed to return to their bases and submit their service rifles.
However, the policy has been rendered largely ineffective on the ground. Sources report that the same service weapons are being reissued to personnel after payments of up to ₦500,000, after which they resume their previous duties under informal arrangements.
“Police officers are now disguising themselves in vigilante and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps uniforms to evade the so-called withdrawal order,” a high-level police source revealed. “Each officer was instructed to return their service rifle, only to have the same weapon reissued after paying ₦500,000. They then resumed duty as usual.”
Another source confirmed the widespread circumvention, stating, “Some police guards now wear suits and operate as private drivers for VIPs. The reality is, most officers have already returned to work.”
Although the Inspector-General of Police constituted a monitoring team to enforce compliance, sources within the force described the enforcement exercise as “largely symbolic,” claiming that the few officers arrested for show were immediately released.
The sources described the entire withdrawal process as a charade that has primarily benefited senior officers collecting bribes while the practice of assigning police to VIPs continues unchanged.
“This so-called VIP police withdrawal has changed nothing,” another frustrated source said. “It has merely enriched senior officers while the charade continues.”
**Background on the Presidential Directive**
The order was delivered by President Tinubu on November 23, 2025, during a high-level security meeting with service chiefs. The move was widely praised by many Nigerians as a pragmatic step to address the critical shortage of police personnel available to combat mass kidnappings, banditry, and other violent crimes plaguing the nation.
The President emphasized that VIPs requiring continued protection should instead seek it from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). To further strengthen the police force, he simultaneously approved the recruitment of 30,000 new officers.
Despite public support, the directive has faced significant resistance from parts of the political elite. Some senators have publicly expressed reservations, arguing that without police escorts, their safety would be compromised when traveling to their constituencies, a concern echoed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
This is not the first time a Nigerian administration has attempted such a withdrawal; previous efforts have similarly foundered on the rocks of enforcement and elite resistance.
