The Nigeria Police Force has issued a stern warning that any police officer found providing escort or protection for Very Important Persons, VIPs, will be arrested.
Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, issued the warning on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, monitored by DAILY POST.
Hundeyin described such assignments as illegal under the current order of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun. He emphasised that the enforcement operation is fully underway and that all officers previously attached to VIP protection duties have been withdrawn.
“The enforcement is on. The IGP gave the directive that any police officer found escorting VIPs be arrested because, definitely, he is on illegal duty. Every one of them has been recalled,” he said.
“The IGP ordered the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Special Protection Unit to go to the Abuja airport and station his men there and arrest any police officer found escorting VIPs.
“He gave the same order to the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State to go to the Lagos airport and arrest any police officer escorting VIPs. That’s how seriously we take this,” he added.
The police PRO also stated that President Bola Tinubu’s order is absolute and not influenced by the highest bidder.
Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police escorts from VIPs is intended to redeploy personnel to core policing duties amid rising insecurity nationwide.
