Security for All: Rethinking VIP Withdrawals Amid Rising Threats

Pulling Officers Back from VIPs Nigeria is taking a fresh look at security. President Bola Tinubu recently approved the withdrawal of 11,566 police officers from VIP duties to frontline policing. The goal is simple: move officers from guarding convoys and high-profile officials to protecting everyday people and critical areas across the country. Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun says the redeployment will improve visibility, boost response to crime, and strengthen national security. Past attempts stalled due to political pressure, but this time, the directive has full presidential backing. Numbers That Show Impact Recent data highlights the benefits of focusing on frontline policing: • Arrested 822 suspects • Recovered 249 firearms and nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition • Rescued 232 kidnapped victims • Seized 38 vehicles With the festive season approaching, highway patrols have been reinforced, drones are being used for surveillance, and joint operations are running along major routes and borders. The School Protection Squad remains active, keeping students safe from potential attacks. The Wake-Up Call: Anambra Attack Shortly after the withdrawals, a violent ambush hit the convoy of former Anambra governor Dr. Chris Ngige. Gunmen disguised as police and military officers killed a policeman and a woman recording the attack, while others were injured. Some VIPs have called for a review of the withdrawal, fearing reduced protection. But the bigger picture matters: focusing officers on frontline duties could prevent attacks before they happen, protecting far more people than just convoys. Security for Everyone, Not Just the Few Here is the core of the issue: security should not feel like a luxury. VIPs will always need protection, and rightly so. But the common man, traders, commuters, students, rural communities also deserves to feel safe. Every Nigerian has blood running through their veins, every life matters, and fear should not be a daily companion for the majority while a few are insulated behind walls and convoys. There’s a question that cannot be ignored: if VIPs never feel the pressure of insecurity themselves, will they ever act decisively to create a system that protects everyone? Perhaps feeling the heat is necessary. When danger is real and close, it forces urgency. It pushes action. It forces policies and strategies that are practical, not just symbolic. Security measures shouldn’t just exist for appearances they need to touch the lives of the ordinary citizen. Frontline policing can make a real difference, but only if it is implemented in a way that reaches communities and people on the ground. Safety must be universal. It cannot be reserved for those with convoys, bodyguards, or political influence. Every citizen deserves to know they can go about daily life without fear, and that should be the standard, not the exception. The Takeaway Redirecting officers from VIP protection to frontline security is a bold step toward equity in national safety. VIPs may still need protection, but the focus is finally shifting to where it matters most: ordinary Nigerians who face the brunt of insecurity every day. This approach has the potential to change how security is experienced in Nigeria. It reminds leaders that safety is not optional and that all lives, not just those in convoys, deserve protection. Perhaps, in feeling the heat themselves, VIPs will push for stronger, more effective systems that ensure security is real, tangible, and universal. Quick Facts: VIP Withdrawals & Frontline Security • Officers moved from VIP duties: 11,566 • Recent arrests nationwide: 822 • Firearms recovered: 249 • Rounds of ammunition recovered: 20,989 • Kidnapped victims rescued: 232 • Festive season measures: Highway patrols, drone surveillance, joint operations • School Protection Squad: Active