No fewer than 100,000 police officers attached to Very Important Persons and politicians are to be withdrawn and redeployed to frontline policing and counter-insurgency operations, as part of new measures to confront escalating insecurity nationwide.
President Bola Tinubu issued the directive at a high-level security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja, attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services. According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs requiring escorts will henceforth be protected by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, not the police.
An estimated 100,000 officers currently serve as orderlies to VIPs, depriving communities across the country of adequate policing. A 2025 report by the European Union Agency for Asylum noted that Nigeria’s policing strength—371,800 officers for a population of over 236 million—was significantly weakened by the diversion of personnel to VIP protection.
Announcing the new policy, Onanuga said the President aims to boost police visibility nationwide, given current security challenges. He added that Tinubu has also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and is collaborating with state governments to upgrade police training facilities.
Present at Sunday’s meeting were the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and the DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi.
Niger School Attack: Troop Withdrawal Under Investigation
The Defence Headquarters has opened an investigation into reports that soldiers guarding St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State were withdrawn shortly before armed attackers stormed the school and abducted dozens of girls.
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, questioned why troops allegedly left around 3am despite prior intelligence alerts from the state government. The District Head of Maga, Muhammad Dantani, also confirmed that soldiers were at the school around midnight but withdrew roughly an hour before the attack.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said the military is reviewing troop movements at the time of the incident and will take corrective action if lapses are confirmed. He assured that operations to rescue the abducted students are ongoing and that security around schools is being strengthened.
Military Intensifies Rescue Operation
Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj. Gen. Warrah Idris, has ordered troops to intensify the hunt for the perpetrators of the Niger school abduction. During an assessment visit, he instructed forces to maintain pressure until all abducted students are safely recovered, assuring them of full operational support.
A senior officer involved in the operation said troops are closing in on the kidnappers, describing the rescue mission as precise and coordinated. Community leaders in Papiri expressed renewed hope following the commanders’ visit.
Kebbi Shuts Schools as Insecurity Spreads
Amid rising insecurity, the Kebbi State Government has ordered the immediate closure of all public and private secondary schools, as well as state-owned tertiary institutions—except the College of Nursing Sciences, Birnin Kebbi.
Commissioners for Basic and Secondary Education and Higher Education, Dr. Halima Bande and Alhaji Issa Abubakar-Tunga, said the decision followed disturbing attacks in parts of the state. Hundreds of schools across all 21 LGAs are affected.
However, Col. Ahmed Usman (retd.), Special Adviser on Security to the Sokoto State Governor, criticised mass school closures, warning that shutting down education empowers criminal groups and deepens socio-economic vulnerability. He urged a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic tactics to address root causes of insecurity.
50 Abducted Niger Schoolgirls Escap
Fifty schoolgirls abducted from St. Mary Schools have escaped and reunited with their families, according to the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna. He said 236 pupils remain in captivity—alongside 12 staff members—bringing the total number still held to 253.
The mass abduction had prompted Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago to order statewide school closures.
Kwara Abduction: 38 Church Worshippers Freed
Thirty-eight worshippers kidnapped from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku in Kwara State have regained their freedom following a joint operation involving the military, police tactical teams, DSS operatives, and local vigilantes.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said President Tinubu personally supervised the rescue efforts and cancelled his scheduled trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa to focus on the security crisis.
Community leaders confirmed that the DSS notified them of the victims’ release on Sunday afternoon.
Pope Leo XIV Condemns Kidnappings
Pope Leo XIV has called for the immediate release of the Kebbi schoolgirls, expressing deep sorrow over the rising spate of kidnappings in Nigeria and Cameroon. He appealed for prayers and urged that churches and schools remain safe spaces.
APC: Attacks May Be “Organised, Choreographed”
The All Progressives Congress has warned that the wave of abductions across northern Nigeria appears to follow an “organised and orchestrated” pattern aimed at creating panic ahead of the 2027 elections.
APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, said President Tinubu has taken ownership of the crisis and will deploy all necessary instruments of state to protect Nigerians. He cautioned against political actors attempting to exploit the turmoil.
Duru expressed confidence in Nigeria’s military capacity, recalling the country’s history of restoring peace across Africa and defeating fifth columnists in the past.
Call to Flush Out Saboteurs
Former Osun State lawmaker and APC chieftain, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, urged the President and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to identify and prosecute internal saboteurs undermining security operations. He warned that rising kidnappings in Kwara, Kebbi, Niger and other states are heightening national anxiety.
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2025-11-24
