ABUJA – The Federal Government has announced plans to curb the misuse of security operatives by Very Important Persons (VIPs).
Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, disclosed this during the Ministry of Interior’s performance retreat on Thursday in Abuja.
Bala-Usman decried the widespread diversion of police personnel, including specialised anti-terrorism squads, to VIP escort duties, stressing that the practice had created critical security gaps across the country.
“We cannot continue to deploy police that have been trained for anti-terrorism to be guiding VIPs in Ikoyi. That is completely wrong. If the person feels he needs protection, let him go and pay a licensed security company to provide it,” she said.
She revealed that government was pushing for an amendment to the Private Guard Companies (PGCs) Act to empower certified private security firms to handle VIP protection services.
“We must free our policemen to do national security as required, so whoever feels too important, needing submachine guns around him, should go and hire PGC with the necessary documentation and not take our mobile policemen,” Bala-Usman added.
The presidential aide noted that the police force was overstretched, with the actual number of officers available on the ground far below the official strength. She stressed that redeploying officers from VIP escorts to national security operations was long overdue.
She further suggested integrating retired senior police officers into structured private security companies to professionalise the industry and create jobs.
Bala-Usman said the reform was among the high-impact deliverables her office was tracking, urging the Ministry of Interior and the National Assembly to fast-track the legislative process before the third quarter of 2025.
“VIP protection is not a public entitlement. It is a service that should be paid for. Our policemen must be freed to protect Nigerians at large, not just a privileged few,” she declared.
