Presidency Urges Nigerians to Photograph and Report VIPs Flouting Executive Order on Withdrawal of Police Escorts

The Presidency has intensified its drive to enforce the recent executive order mandating the withdrawal of police officers attached to unauthorized private individuals and Very Important Persons (VIPs), publicly calling on citizens to act as compliance monitors. The appeal was made today, by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, who urged Nigerians to actively monitor and report any violation of the directive issued by President Bola Tinubu.

The presidential aide stressed that the policy forms a crucial part of the administration’s strategy to optimize the deployment of national security assets and re-assign police personnel who are currently needed for core public safety and frontline policing duties across states grappling with banditry and kidnapping. Mr. Bwala specifically asked citizens to help document instances of non-compliance. “If you identify a celebrity, a private sector person, or any individual who has police against the executive order of the president, as much as you can, capture evidence, whether a photograph or video,” he stated.

While emphasizing that the withdrawal directive is firm, the Special Adviser clarified that the order is not all-encompassing and applies primarily to unauthorized individuals. He noted that critical government officials, based on their risk profile, would continue to receive necessary protection, potentially from other security agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) or the State Security Service (SSS), allowing the Nigeria Police Force to focus on its primary constitutional mandate of securing the general populace. The directive underscores the government’s commitment to rationalizing the use of scarce police resources and ensuring that the force concentrates its manpower on addressing the escalating nationwide security challenges.