Nigeria’s Security Strained: One in Four Police Officers Assigned to Protect Politicians, Says EU Report

A new report by the European Union Agency for Asylum has revealed that more than 100,000 officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) are currently assigned to protect politicians and other Very Important Persons (VIPs), raising serious concerns over inadequate security for ordinary citizens.

According to the report, released in November 2025, Nigeria’s police force has an estimated strength of 371,800 officers serving a population of about 236.7 million people. However, a large portion of these personnel are diverted to VIP protection duties instead of core policing functions such as community patrols and crime prevention.

The EU agency noted that this diversion has worsened the country’s policing shortfall, leading to slow emergency response times and leaving many communities vulnerable. It further cited corruption, poor funding, and weak accountability systems as key factors undermining police effectiveness and professionalism. “With reliable accountability mechanisms lacking, there were reports of officers engaging in misconduct, including arbitrary arrests, extortion, and excessive use of violence,” the report stated.

Efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, for comments were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, despite repeated directives from the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in 2023 and 2025 to withdraw Police Mobile Force operatives from VIP duties, the report indicates that elite protection remains widespread.

In August, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, also criticised the practice, calling for a complete overhaul of VIP protection arrangements. She argued that deploying police trained for anti-terror operations to guard individuals in affluent areas was “completely wrong” and urged those seeking personal protection to hire licensed private security firms instead.

Bala-Usman further advocated an amendment to the Police Act to allow private security companies to take over certain roles currently performed by the police, thereby freeing security agencies to focus on national priorities. “We must free our policemen to do the work of national security as required,” she insisted.