₦airaland Forum

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday reaffirmed his order to pull police officers off VIPs and return them to core policing.

He stated this minutes before presiding over the Federal Executive Council at the State House, Abuja.

“I honestly believe in what I said…It should be effected. If you have any problem because of the nature of your assignment, contact the IGP and get my clearance,” Tinubu said, sounding fed up with the slow pace of compliance.

He directed the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to liaise with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps to immediately replace withdrawn escorts so “you don’t leave people exposed.”

“The minister of interior should liaise IG and the Civil Defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties.

“So that you don’t leave people exposed,” he insisted.

He asked the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Department of State Services to issue further guidance and ensure the directive is effected.

Tinubu said, “NSA and DSS will provide further information and form themselves the committee and review the structure.”

Framing the move as a response to a spike in abductions, the President said, “We are facing challenges of kidnapping. We need all the forces we have on the ground, fully utilised.”

He added that while some officials remain vulnerable, civil defence personnel should step in for VIP protection where necessary.

“I know some of our people are exposed and I understand that we have to make exceptional provision for them and civil defence is equally armed and I want to know that from NSA to arm our forest guards too, take it very seriously.

Tinubu also disclosed that forest guards will be armed, saying, “I have directed the NSA to arm our forest guards, too. Take it seriously,” the President stated.

The President also tasked Vice-President Kashim Shettima to use the National Economic Council to identify and rehabilitate grazing reserves into ranches, aiming to defuse farmer-herder flashpoints and formalise the livestock economy.

He directed, “Again, especially livestock reform, I think the Vice President should get the NEC first of all to see which villages or grazing reserves can be salvaged or rehabilitated into Ranches, Livestock settlements.

“We must eliminate the possibility of conflicts and turn the Livestock reform into economically viable development. The opportunity is there. Let’s utilise it.

“And it is in NEC, if we exercise the constitutional requirement which states that the land belongs to the states, whichever one they can salvage convert to a Livestock village, let us stop this conflict area and turn it into economic opportunities and prosperity.”

Wednesday’s charge came nearly three weeks after an earlier presidential directive to withdraw police details from VIPs and redeploy them to communities and highways, freeing manpower for investigations, patrols and school protection.

The November 23 directive was issued after a security meeting at the State House, Abuja. It followed a series of attacks that saw the kidnapping of at least 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, across Kebbi, Kwara and Niger States.

“Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties,” read a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu instructed that “VIPs who want police protection will now request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.”

Hours earlier, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, described seeing “an excessively large security battalion assigned to a young individual close to the Presidency,” an entourage he said was “sufficient to take over a small country.”

He revealed that the young man turned out to be Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son.

He spoke at the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos on Tuesday.

In a now viral four-minute, 25-second video shared on Tuesday night by #Nigeriastories on X, Soyinka said, “I was so astonished that I started looking for the national security adviser.

“I said track him down for me. I think they got him somewhere in Paris.

“But he was with the president; he was in a meeting.”

He continued, “Then, I said I’ve just seen something I can’t believe I don’t understand and I described the scene to him. I said do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection or whatever.

“I couldn’t believe it. Later on, I did some investigative journalism, and I found that apparently this is how this young man goes around with his battalion, his heavily armed soldiers.”

https://punchng.com/tinubu-restates-police-withdrawal-from-vips-directs-shettima-to-lead-ranch-initiative/Hello 👋

President Muslim
Vice president Muslim
Minister of Defence (Badaru) Muslim
Minister of State Defence Matawalle Muslim

And you say bandits and Islamist terrorists won't multiply

Badaru has gone, Matawalle should go

Really na wa ooo njjkkkj kkkkk kkkk kkkkkkk kkkkk

What Donald Trump cannot do does not exist

As for Soyinka
Igbos don drag sense back to those white hairs

Baba, don dey regain wisdom small small

Kashim Shettima will not deliver on this assignment.

The guy is so useless in Tinubu's government.

Ribadu is more effective than him.

weak man. don't live chacter

Good move from the President.

Because his son committed the same offense

Mmmuchu

We told them that they are unstable in all their ways.

Laptop boyz, beyond working for your N30k salary, please advocate for one police officer each for all of you. Or else, una don cheat unasef.

ChizzyBuna:
What Donald Trump cannot do does not exist

Which one, the PDFILE? Sleepy Don the felon with 34 convictions.
Trump will say something in an interview and deny it while the interview is still ongoing.

Nice one Jagaban. Make sense.

Next should be to give directive such that any policeman seen to be flouting this order should be sacked after few months.

Peter Obi the useless man will NEVER be president!

Omooba77:
https://punchng.com/tinubu-restates-police-withdrawal-from-vips-directs-shettima-to-lead-ranch-initiative/Hello 👋

/
It is a sign of weakness for President to emphasize on his orders for it to be obeyed. Imagine Police personnel carrying on
with total disregard for the orders of a so-called Commander-in-Chief. This level of insubordination is a sign that
the subjects have. no respect for the President.

/

Noted.

more characters needed.

The first step is that this IGP should be relieved of his job, go to parties, many police still come in mulfti. Criminals too get police.

Oga is confused, yet 2027 is on his mind

they see those security as luxury (their money can afford any thing even human life) as such they won't listen. even when Nigeria was well secured they still go around with them (security), just to prove a point I still don't understand.

Make Shetima do waiting?

The Jagaban. Our police corrupt fantastically, they'll thoroughly resist moving away from VVIPs to Sambissa.

The Minster of Defence is : GENERAL CHRISTOPHER GWABIN MUSA (RTD)

He is a Christian

mohbadliveson:
President Muslim
Vice president Muslim
Minister of Defence (Badaru) Muslim
Minister of State Defence Matawalle Muslim

And you say bandits and Islamist terrorists won't multiply

Badaru has gone, Matawalle should go

Tinubu has chickened out, it is finished.

It's about getting "clearance" now, which many might (will) get...

For those who have decided to take up the whistlebliwing duty, how will they now know those who got clearance from the Boss?

AqualinaXYZ:
Tinubu is very useless



A criminal drug lord

Who knows your father Oloddohh!!!

mohbadliveson:
President Muslim
Vice president Muslim
Minister of Defence (Badaru) Muslim
Minister of State Defence Matawalle Muslim

And you say bandits and Islamist terrorists won't multiply

Badaru has gone, Matawalle should go

You still dey live under the rock for you not to be updated.

Good one Mr President.
Right order

Late Fela Kuti once called this kind talk

Animal talk

Just talk, no implementation

But ur son is moving up and down with convoy enough to take on small country like Togo or Benin. Is dat not double standard?

SlavaUkraini:
Please don't make racist and tribalistic comments on this section

You have made nairaland your room and palour.
Can you imagine. Does it it mean you don't have an active job? I wonder what age you are🤬🤬

Federal government with no balls😂😂

The monster west and north made has come home to roost. More bullets to ISWAP AND BOKO BOYS

Cementing sales of africa to one ethnic group. First they used him to jail Kanu. Now using him to grant RUGA.

so now the grabber and snatcher gives order and it will take months to implement