Former Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has attributed the failure of previous attempts to withdraw police officers from Very Important Persons to the fact that such orders were issued by police chiefs rather than the President.
Speaking on Saturday in Abuja at the launch of his biographies, Giant Footprints and A Policeman Personified, Baba expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive would succeed.
He commended the President for demonstrating the “political will” to remove police personnel from private individuals and undeserving VIPs.
“I am profoundly grateful to the President of the Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his consistent action directed at restoring the dwindling police primacy in the internal security architecture,” Baba said.
“This was again made manifest by the recent presidential order on the withdrawal of police personnel attached to undeserving personalities.
“As far as my memory can lead me, this is the first time that such an order will emanate directly from a sitting President.
“We have tried to do it as IGPs, but we couldn’t make it. Let’s see how this one will work.”
Baba further explained that documenting his career in policing through his biographies would contribute to national discourse on security, inspire others, and offer valuable insights for policymakers and law enforcement professionals.
The PUNCH previously reported that President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of all police personnel assigned to VIPs, directing their redeployment to core policing duties.
According to Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, VIPs still requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The goal of this measure, Onanuga added, is to free police officers for frontline duties, particularly in underserved communities, while bolstering Nigeria’s overall security response.
