Tinubu Orders Redeployment of 100,000 Police from VIP Guards Amid Abduction Surge

President Bola Tinubu directed the withdrawal of 100,000 police officers from protecting Very Important Persons on Sunday in Abuja. He issued the order during a security meeting with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services. The move aims to bolster community policing and counter ongoing terrorist attacks that have gripped the nation.

VIPs will now receive armed guards from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Officials estimate these redeployed officers will fill critical gaps in public protection. Nigeria’s police force totals about 371,800 for over 236 million people, but many serve VIPs instead of communities.

Tinubu also approved hiring 30,000 new officers and upgrading training facilities nationwide. Past leaders promised similar shifts, yet few followed through. The president seeks to end the diversion of forces that leaves remote areas vulnerable.

Attendees included Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, and DSS Director-General Tosin Adeola Ajayi.

Troops pulled out of a Niger State school just before bandits abducted dozens of girls last Friday. Kebbi Governor Nasir Idris demanded answers after soldiers left around 3am, despite state alerts. The attack struck St Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara area, snatching 315 pupils and staff.

The Defence Headquarters launched a probe into the withdrawal. Director of Defence Media Operations Maj Gen Michael Onoja vowed corrective steps if lapses emerge. Operations continue to rescue the captives, with 50 girls escaping between Friday and Saturday to reunite with families.

Maj Gen Warrah Idris, Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, ordered intensified hunts for the bandits. Troops maintain pressure without pause. A senior officer promised precise action to bring every child home safely.

Kebbi State shut all secondary schools and most tertiary institutions after the crisis. Commissioners Halima Bande and Alhaji Issa Abubakar-Tunga cited safety as the top concern. Only the College of Nursing Sciences in Birnin Kebbi stays open.

Sokoto security adviser Col Ahmed Usman (retd) slammed the closures as a setback. He warned they embolden criminals and rob northern youth of futures. Usman called for deeper fixes like jobs, dialogue, and youth programmes to root out insecurity.

In Kwara, 38 worshippers freed themselves from a Tuesday church raid in Eruku. Bandits killed three and seized them from Christ Apostolic Church Oke Isegun during service. Joint forces from army, DSS, police, and vigilantes secured the release Sunday afternoon.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq hailed the effort, crediting President Tinubu’s direct oversight. Tinubu scrapped a G20 trip to focus on threats in Kwara and Kebbi. He deployed extra teams, including four new police units.

These horrors shatter innocent lives, from terrified schoolgirls to families torn by loss. Children deserve classrooms, not chains; worshippers, peace, not peril. Nigeria aches for leaders who turn grief into unbreakable shields for the vulnerable.