WHY NIGERIA MUST REFORM VIP POLICE ESCORTS — INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE SHOWS A BETTER WAY
By Sadeeq Shehu
Nigeria is one of the most under-policed countries in the world —about 1 policeman to 1,000 citizens, far below the UN recommended 1:450. Yet, paradoxically, thousands of police officers are locked up in VIP convoys, carrying handbags, opening car doors and protecting individuals who face no defined security threat.
As President Tinubu orders the withdrawal of police from VIP protection roles and reassigns them to community safety, the pushback by politicians and elites has been loud, aggressive, and frankly shameless. But global best practice is firmly on the side of reform, not entitlement.
As my contribution, below is a Nigeria-focused policy argument built on international comparisons.
HOW OTHER COUNTRIES USE POLICE -INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON
In most democracies, ONLY a tiny group gets automatic protection. Countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and South Africa do not give police convoys to every minister, political ally, or wealthy individual.
Automatic protection is reserved for:
a. Head of State
b. Head of Government
c. Deputy/Prime Minister
d. Occasionally a few key national security ministers and
e. Visiting foreign heads of state
EVERYONE ELSE receives protection only if a threat assessment justifies it, and only for a specified period.
International practice uses RISK-BASED protection, not STATUS-BASED protection
Countries like the UK rely on a committee called RAVEC that evaluates threat intelligence and decides, objectively, who gets police protection—not politicians themselves.
Germany and Canada do the same:
a. You get a police detail only if you face credible threat.
b. Protection is time-limited and reviewed quarterly.
c. Numbers are capped and centrally managed.
Nigeria must adopt the same approach:
A National Risk Assessment Board for VIP Protection, run jointly by Police, DSS, and DMI—not by politicians—should determine:
a. Who gets escorts
b. For how long
c. At what level
d. Based on threat, not ego
In the countries we like to compare ourselves to:
a. Ministers typically move with 1–2 protection officers
b. Convoys are reserved for the very top leadership only.
c. Police priority is community safety, not escorting officials.
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NIGERIA’S CURRENT PRACTICE IS THE OPPOSITE.
Here, escorts are an “entitlement,” a status symbol, a display of ego, and—too often—an illegal personal security extension for criminals who can pay.
a. 5–10 vehicle convoys for people who don’t need them.
b. Motorbike outriders for individuals who are not even in government
c. Police officers acting as domestic servants
d. Entire divisions of police dedicated to VIP protection, leaving communities exposed
e. VIP convoys are SMALL and RARE. Ours are bloated.
This must stop!!!
REDIRECTING VIP POLICE BACK TO COMMUNITY POLICING BENEFITS EVERYONE
FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC:
a. More patrols
b. Faster response times
c. Increased visibility of law enforcement
d. Safer communities
e. Better crime prevention
FOR THE PRESIDENT:
a. Delivers his promised security reform
b. Frees thousands of trained officers
c. Boosts public confidence in government
d. Reduces abuse of police authority by the elite
FOR SECURITY VETERANS / RETIRED MILITARY & POLICE OFFICERS:
a. A new regulated market for licensed armed private security.
b. Veterans bring discipline, weapons training, and existing security clearances
c. Creates jobs and professionalises the private security sector
d. Takes pressure off the Nigeria Police
This is a win–win–win policy if structured correctly.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A NIGERIA-SPECIFIC MODEL:
Adopt India-style Security Categories –
India is one of the few countries that publishes levels of police protection for different levels: Z+ (55 personnel); Z (22); Y (11) and X (2).
Nigeria can adapt this with strict limits:
Category A (for President, VP, Senate President, Speaker House, CJN)- 25–40 officers (DSS + police). Convoy allowed
Category B (select ministers, service chiefs)- 8–12 officers. No parade convoys; For operational movements only
Category C (risk-based for judges, election officials, whistle-blowers) 2–4 officers. Time-limited
Category D (temporary protection) 1–2 officers. Strict 90-day review
EVERYONE ELSE hires licensed private armed security, as done globally.
WHAT PBAT Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu MUST DO IMMEDIATELY
(a) Withdraw police from VIPs with no risk profile . Not by rhetoric, but by enforcement.
(b) Create a national risk committee (our RAVEC). DSS + NPF Intelligence + Military Intelligence.
(c) Legally cap convoy sizes. No more than two vehicles for 99% of public officials.
(d) Pass a law enabling licensed armed private security. This opens the door for trained veterans and frees police for real policing.
(e) Publish the VIP Protection Guidelines. Transparency eliminates abuse.
FINAL WORD: NIGERIA MUST STOP TREATING POLICE AS PERSONAL PROPERTY
Police personnel constitute a scarce and expensive national resource, and their deployment must be managed prudently to serve the entire citizenry.
If the US President, UK Prime Minister, German Chancellor, French President, and Canadian PM can function with small, disciplined, intelligence-led protection teams, then Nigeria has no excuse for the reckless misuse of police officers as private ornaments of the elite.
A democracy should not fear freeing its police for the people. Only kleptocrats fear it. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
*Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (rtd) was former Spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force
