Lawmakers have sharply criticised the manner in which President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police orderlies from Very Important Personalities (VIPs) is being carried out, arguing that the policy is being implemented unevenly.
President Tinubu had recently ordered the recall of roughly 11,000 police personnel attached to VIPs nationwide.
The move, according to the administration, is aimed at boosting the number of officers available for core policing duties amid rising insecurity and manpower shortages in local communities.
During Wednesday’s plenary, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) revealed that his *only* police orderly was withdrawn in the early hours of the day. He, however, noted that many other VIPs—including ministers, business executives, and even entertainers—still move around with heavy police escorts.
Ningi condemned what he described as selective enforcement of the directive, insisting that the policy must be applied fairly and without exceptions.
“It has to be across the board,” he said. “Let’s see it implemented from the Office of the President down to the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, ministers and everyone else. After taking away my only orderly, I still see ministers in convoys with full security details. I see business organisations, Chinese firms, children of top politicians, and even musicians with police guards.”
He stressed that while he did not personally fear for his safety, it was unacceptable for senators to be targeted while others continued to enjoy full security protection. Ningi urged the Senate President to instruct the Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the partial enforcement of the order, warning that “the National Assembly should not be turned into a scapegoat.”
Responding, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who presided over the session, said the Senate leadership had already discussed the matter extensively and was in communication with the Presidency to secure an exemption for lawmakers.
Jibrin reassured aggrieved senators that efforts were underway to restore their police orderlies, adding that providing security to legislators is consistent with global legislative practice.
“We have taken this matter seriously,” he said. “At the leadership level, we agreed to initiate the necessary steps to ensure your police orderlies are reinstated. I believe we have a listening President who will review the directive—which, to be fair, was issued with good intentions.”
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The Senate’s intervention comes amid intense public debate over how to balance the need to safeguard VIPs with the urgent demand for more police officers in communities across Nigeria.
