IGP Reveals Strategic Reason Behind Withdrawal Of 11,566 VIP Officers During Christmas

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has explained that the ongoing withdrawal of officers from Very Important Persons (VIP) protection details is a tactical, nationwide redeployment aimed at strengthening frontline policing, securing highways, and protecting communities plagued by banditry.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Addressing senior police commanders in Abuja, Egbetokun emphasized that the move is a strategic realignment, not a sentimental gesture, driven by the urgent need to redeploy manpower to Nigeria’s most vulnerable rural and township areas, where kidnappers have recently dictated movement and created widespread fear.

“In accordance with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn 11,566 personnel from VIP protection duties,” Egbetokun confirmed, noting that the officers are being redeployed immediately.

“The withdrawal is not a shirking of responsibility—it is a reclaiming of it,” he added.

The IGP stressed that the redeployment aims to increase police visibility on rural roads, town perimeters, motor parks, markets, and key community travel routes, with intensified patrols and rapid response measures ready to prevent criminal attacks.

Strategic Move to Secure Festive Roads
Egbetokun revealed that recent abduction waves in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, though swiftly addressed, highlighted gaps in manpower and raised questions about police presence on the nation’s roads.

“We may not always appear to be doing enough, but we are actively working. As leaders, however, we must hold ourselves to higher standards,” he said.

With the Christmas travel rush approaching, the IGP directed all state commands to activate enhanced festive deployments, securing national highways and critical community entry and exit points.

“As citizens travel home to celebrate, criminals will attempt to exploit the roads. The police must dominate these routes proactively,” he warned.

The plan includes expanded highway patrols, reinforced foot patrols at motor parks, anti-robbery operations along high-traffic corridors, drone surveillance, intelligence-led rural protection, and visible community policing.

Egbetokun highlighted recent tactical successes, including the arrest of 8,202 suspects for various crimes: 451 armed robbery suspects, 356 kidnappers, 534 murder suspects, 173 illegal firearm holders, 312 alleged rapists, 282 cultists, and 6,094 others. Additionally, 249 firearms, nearly 21,000 rounds of ammunition, and 238 vehicles were recovered, alongside the rescue of 232 kidnap victims.

He stressed that intelligence will be operationalized, not celebrated ceremonially, and called on all commands to integrate artificial intelligence, drones, and other technical tools into policing strategies. Commands are now required to log operational hours and presence as key performance metrics for December deployments.