In a recent commentary, retired Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba (rtd) argued that past efforts to withdraw police officers from guarding Very Important Persons (VIPs) in Nigeria have consistently failed and he explained why.
Baba said that although the principle behind the withdrawal policy is valid to redirect police manpower from private guard duties back to core policing, implementation has always been undermined by systemic factors: “VIP culture,” political interference, and lack of institutional follow-through.
He pointed out that many VIPs (politicians, businessmen, celebrities) have the means and motivation to pressure police authorities to maintain protection, effectively neutralizing any top-down directive. As a result, what should be a structural reform ends up as a recurring public-relations exercise.
Baba also emphasized that without deep reforms including rethinking the political economy of personal security in Nigeria and empowering legitimate private security options the withdrawal policy will continue to be ineffectual.
In his view, to truly shift policing back toward safeguarding all citizens not just VIPs, the government must commit to long-term systemic change rather than rely on temporary directives.
