Tinubu’s aide calls for end to police escorts for VIPs

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, has urged the government to stop deploying police officers as personal escorts for Very Important Personalities (VIPs).

Speaking at the Ministry of Interior’s performance retreat in Abuja on Thursday, Bala-Usman said the practice of diverting police and elite security units to guard individuals is weakening national security and leaving ordinary citizens unprotected.

She criticised the sight of VIPs moving around with convoys of heavily armed policemen while communities in need of protection remain vulnerable.

“We cannot continue to deploy police trained for anti-terrorism operations just to guard individuals in Ikoyi. That is completely wrong,” she stressed.

Bala-Usman revealed that reforms are underway to amend the Private Guard Companies Act, which would allow licensed private security firms to take over VIP protection roles. She also suggested recruiting retired senior police officers into structured private security outfits, creating jobs while reducing the burden on active security agencies.

According to her, VIPs who require heavy security should pay for it through private firms instead of diverting state resources.

“This reform will free our policemen to focus on fighting crime and terrorism, while VIPs will be held responsible for their own personal protection,” she said.