The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, has urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the directive withdrawing police protection from VIPs is enforced uniformly and without favour.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Rafsanjani said the President’s decision was commendable but must be implemented fairly.
He said, “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.”
Rafsanjani noted that withdrawing police personnel from guarding non-governmental VIPs would free up more officers to protect vulnerable communities.
He lamented the long-standing practice of assigning police officers to private individuals while ungoverned rural areas remain exposed to banditry and violent attacks.
“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,” he said.
The activist warned that turning police protection into a private service had created inequities and weakened national security.
“When you commercialize and privatize the security sector for public safety, it becomes a problem,” he added.
Rafsanjani also criticised the inefficiency of roadside checkpoints, noting that criminal activity typically resumes immediately after vehicles pass through them.
He added that Nigeria urgently needs broad security sector reforms to address structural weaknesses and restore public confidence.
“For me, there is an urgent need for comprehensive security sector reforms to address the challenges we are facing,” he said.
Tinubu’s Issues Directive To Police
On Sunday, President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police personnel attached to VIPs. The policy shift was announced after a security meeting with service chiefs, including:
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke
Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun
DSS Director-General, Tosin Adeola Ajayi
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the directive was aimed at refocusing police manpower on core law enforcement duties.
“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.
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