President Bola Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of about 100,000 police officers from VIP security duties for redeployment to frontline policing as Nigeria battles mass abductions, escalating attacks and mounting public alarm.
Nigeria has launched a sweeping security overhaul after President Bola Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of no fewer than 100,000 police officers attached to VIPs and politicians, directing their redeployment to core policing and counter-insurgency operations amid a nationwide mass-abduction crisis.
According to presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, VIP protection will now be handled by the NSCDC, while Tinubu also approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police personnel and upgrades to training facilities.
The directive followed mounting outrage over recent school kidnappings, including the abduction of students in Niger and Kebbi states, prompting military investigations into troop withdrawals and intensified rescue operations.
Amid ongoing school closures, community panic and multiple mass abductions, security agencies announced breakthroughs, including the escape of 50 abducted pupils in Niger and the rescue of 38 worshippers in Kwara.
Reactions have poured in from military commanders, governors, Pope Leo XIV, and the APC, which warned the attacks appear “organised, choreographed and orchestrated,” while stressing that the President has “taken ownership” of the crisis and is deploying every resource to restore stability.