Former Deputy Speaker Idris Wase has urged President Bola Tinubu to review his directive withdrawing police protection from VIPs, warning that the decision could worsen Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis and expose officials and citizens to greater danger.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Idris Wase, on Wednesday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reconsider his directive ordering the withdrawal of police protection from VIPs, warning the move “if we’re not careful, will lead to more kidnappings.”
He cited a video showing bandits threatening the President and politicians, and argued that Nigeria’s policing capacity was already inadequate, noting that “in Egypt… you have… 5 million” police officers while many Nigerian communities lack stations entirely. Wase stressed that the issue was not about VIP privilege but public safety, calling for clearer categorization of who should retain protection.
Highlighting the dire security situation in the North and North-Central, he said bandits collected about N5 billion in ransom within a year and over 30,000 people were killed in the Boko Haram era alone. “Once it is 6pm… I’m scared, because I know what is happening,” he admitted, urging the President to review the order to prevent further kidnappings and loss of lives.