The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, has called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that his recent order to withdraw police protection for VIPs is applied uniformly across the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday, Rafsanjani emphasised that selective implementation undermines public safety.
“I hope that Mr. President’s directives will be fully implemented and not applied selectively. It is concerning when some individuals continue to have police escorts even to clubs and lounges, while many communities lack basic police presence. We need to address this imbalance,” he said.
Rafsanjani commended the President for the move, noting that removing police personnel from guarding non-governmental VIPs would free up resources to better protect communities. He lamented the misplaced priorities that see police assigned to VIP protection while vulnerable areas remain unprotected.
“Even individuals who are not government officials receive police protection, yet ungoverned spaces remain without law enforcement. This absence of security where it is most needed puts Nigerians at risk. When you commercialize and privatize the security sector for public safety, it becomes a problem,” Rafsanjani added.
He further highlighted inefficiencies in the current security system, noting that criminal activities persist despite heavy police presence at checkpoints. “For me, there is an urgent need for comprehensive security sector reforms to address the challenges we are facing,” he concluded.
On Sunday, President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP security duties during a security meeting with service chiefs, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the directive aims to refocus police manpower on core law enforcement responsibilities.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country. Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties,” the statement read.
