FG Urges Nigerians to Report VIPs Flouting Police Escort Withdrawal Order
FG Urges Nigerians to Report VIPs Flouting Police Escort Withdrawal Order
The Federal Government has issued a direct appeal to Nigerian citizens, urging them to actively monitor and report any Very Important Persons (VIPs) found flouting the presidential directive regarding the withdrawal of police escorts. This appeal emphasizes the administration’s commitment to re-deploying police personnel to core policing duties across the country.
FG Urges Nigerians to Report VIPs Flouting Police Escort Withdrawal Order
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, made the call, stressing that public cooperation is vital for the successful enforcement of the executive order.
Table of Contents
Citizen Role: Monitoring and Reporting Violations
Scope of the Presidential Order
New Security Arrangements for VIPs
Background and Rationale for the Directive
Enforcement and Accountability Implications
1. Citizen Role: Monitoring and Reporting Violations
The government is actively soliciting evidence from the public to ensure compliance with the withdrawal order.
Reporting Mechanism: Citizens are urged to document violations by capturing photographs or video evidenceof any celebrity, private sector person, or non-critical government official using police escorts.
Purpose of Reporting: According to Bwala, collecting this information allows the administration to assess the authority of the president’s directives and take action against those who undermine the executive order.
“Nigerian people get the record, get the picture, get anything,” Bwala said, stressing that flouting the order constitutes a violation of the Constitution.
FG Urges Nigerians to Report VIPs Flouting Police Escort Withdrawal Order
2. Scope of the Presidential Order
The Special Adviser clarified that the withdrawal order is not all-encompassing. Critical government officials whose roles necessitate protection will still be provided with security.
Excluded Personnel: The order is primarily aimed at VIPs, celebrities, and private sector individuals who have traditionally commandeered police personnel for personal security.
Police Deployment Focus: The directive is clear: police officers “have no business being with” non-critical private individuals.
3. New Security Arrangements for VIPs
VIPs who genuinely require armed protection must now seek alternative security arrangements from other designated agencies.
Alternative Security Providers: Protection will now be provided by other security agencies, such as the State Security Service (SSS) or the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
NSCDC Mandate: Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed that VIPs requiring armed escorts are now mandated to request this service from the NSCDC.
4. Background and Rationale for the Directive
President Tinubu’s order for the immediate withdrawal of police escorts followed a meeting with top security officials, including the police, army, and air force chiefs, as well as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Core Problem: The primary rationale is that an excessive number of police officers have been tied up providing personal security to VIPs, severely depleting manpower available for core policing duties.
Impact: This over-deployment has left remote and semi-urban areas of the country critically understaffed and vulnerable.
Reinforcing Visibility: The directive aligns with the President’s concern over diminishing police visibility in rural areas and is coupled with an approval for the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and upgraded training facilities nationwide.
5. Enforcement and Accountability Implications
The government is framing compliance with this directive as a test of the administration’s authority and integrity.
FG Urges Nigerians to Report VIPs Flouting Police Escort Withdrawal Order
Bwala emphasized that any appointed official who flouts the presidential order undermines the instruction and is subject to accountability. He warned that undermining an order of the President has constitutional implications.
