Tinubu’s Aide: Police Should Stop Guarding VIPs

President Bola Tinubu’s adviser on policy, Hadiza Bala-Usman, has urged that police officers should no longer serve as personal bodyguards for wealthy and influential Nigerians.

Speaking at an Interior Ministry retreat in Abuja, Bala-Usman said deploying policemen, including anti-terrorism units, to escort VIPs is draining the nation’s security system.

“One of the most disturbing things for me is when VIPs arrive somewhere with so many policemen trailing them, while the areas that actually need security are left unattended,” she noted.

She explained that government plans to amend the law guiding private security so that licensed firms, not the police, will handle VIP protection.

“VIP protection is not a public entitlement. Whoever wants machine gun-wielding guards should hire a private security company. Our policemen must be freed to protect Nigerians at large, not just a privileged few,” she stressed.