- NSCDC Overwhelmed As VIPs Seek Protection Following Escort Recall.
- NSCDC officials report sharp increase in protection requests despite manpower shortages.
- Government aims to strengthen community policing with redeployed officers.
Demand for private security companies and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has spiked following President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering police escorts to be withdrawn from Very Important Personalities.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the President issued the order on Sunday, explaining that the decision was aimed at deploying more police operatives to underserved communities rather than stripping citizens of protection. On Thursday, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, confirmed that 11,566 officers previously assigned to VIP protection had been withdrawn, marking a significant shift in the country’s security dynamics.
Findings by The Nation indicate that many of the affected VIPs have begun turning to private security contractors and NSCDC personnel for close protection services. At the NSCDC headquarters in Abuja, insiders disclosed that senior officers have been receiving discreet inquiries from politicians, business magnates and top aides seeking armed personnel for personal and family security.
One NSCDC source said, “As we speak today, they have started making moves to request NSCDC personnel, but we lack the manpower to serve these elites. Our last recruitment was 5,000, and the one we are about to do now is 10,000, but note that the less than 100,000 that we have are spread all over the country because of challenges around mining activities, pipeline safety and so on.
“And for special duties like the 2025 Abuja Independence Day celebration, about 4,500 were deployed, while events like the 2025 Anambra governorship election alone require 10,000 personnel.”
Another source in Enugu confirmed that applications for NSCDC personnel have surged sharply in the past few days, driven by VIPs looking for alternatives to police protection.
