The federal government’s decision to withdraw police personnel attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) is a step in the right direction. The measure will ensure effective utilisation of the police personnel concerned. With rising insecurity nationwide, it has become expedient to deploy those policemen to general security operations instead of securing political office holders and other affluent Nigerians. Some police personnel attached to VIPs have often been abused by those they are protecting. Some of them are even sent on demeaning errands that have nothing to do with police duties.
The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, who dropped the hint, said it was in line with the directive by the President Bola Tinubu. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, had earlier indicated that personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) attached to VIPs would be withdrawn. Egbetokun, who made the declaration at a conference with the Police Tactical Commanders in Abuja, added that the Force would re-evaluate the responsibilities of the PMF operatives to ensure their effective utilisation.
“Specifically, we shall effect the withdrawal of PMF personnel from VIP escort and guard duties. While the protection of dignitaries remains paramount, it is imperative that we realign our priorities to address the escalating security challenges faced by the nation as a whole. By relieving the PMF of VIP escort and guard duties, we can redirect their focus and efforts toward addressing critical security concerns that affect our communities at large,” the IGP stated.
To ensure effective transition, the IGP said a special committee headed by Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations had been set up to assess and advise on how the strategy could be implemented seamlessly. According to him, the committee is expected to submit its report in two weeks after which further details will be made available. He stressed that the focus of the police would be to enforce the law and be partners in creating safe communities and nurturing an environment where everyone would feel protected and valued. The affected PMF officers, he stated, will be replaced by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) only where necessary.
The move by the police high command to withdraw police personnel attached to VIPs is commendable. The realities on ground indicate that Nigeria is under-policed. The officers and men of the force are overwhelmed by the enormity of the security challenges. The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and security agency in Nigeria. The 1999 constitution gives it exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country. This makes policing very tasking. However, the number of personnel in the force is not enough to grapple with the nation’s rising security challenges.
Presently, Nigeria has over 370,000 police officers. With a population of over 200 million, the ratio of police to population is one police officer to 600 people. This does not tally with the United Nations (UN) recommended ratio of one police officer to almost 450 people. According to Egbetokun, Nigeria will recruit about 190,000 personnel to meet the UN recommendation. To ensure adequate policing, there is need to increase the annual recruitment into the force from 10,000 to 20,000 personnel.
Since the advent of Boko Haram insurgency in 2009 and other security challenges across the country, the Nigeria Police have been over-stretched. Having many of the officers and men on VIP security duties has contributed to the nation’s worsening security challenges.
Considering the increasing security challenges, no police officer should be sent on VIP guard duty any longer. To further strengthen the nation’s police force, there is need to recruit more men and women into the force. With the ongoing recruitment exercise, it is likely that the numerical strength of the police will be increased substantially. It is commendable that not less than 358,900 applicants have reportedly crossed the first hurdle and have qualified for the next round of the recruitment process. We call for due diligence and transparency in the recruitment exercise.
However, the welfare of officers and men of the force must be given urgent attention. For effective policing of the country, we urge President Tinubu to decentralise the police force to pave the way for other layers of policing such as state and community policing in line with our federal system of government. We believe that state and community policing will help the country in overcoming its prevailing security challenges. There is no way the current centralised policing system will resolve our rising security problems.