Beyond protecting the elite
Once again, the Nigeria Police has moved to streamline the provision of specialised security and escort duties for Nigeria’s elite, those classified as high-risk individuals and the corporate organisations associated with them. This was brought to the spotlight last week when the Commander, Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 23 Minna, Niger State, Chief Superintendent of […]
nigeria police force
Once again, the Nigeria Police has moved to streamline the provision of specialised security and escort duties for Nigeria’s elite, those classified as high-risk individuals and the corporate organisations associated with them.
This was brought to the spotlight last week when the Commander, Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 23 Minna, Niger State, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Hassan Sani, announced during the passing out of 50 participants of the unit that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has set up the special force in view of the increasing demand for elite protective services in the country.
The Minna training was not the first. Regular trainings have been conducted at the SPU Training Centre, Dei-Dei, Abuja, the latest was held April 15-30, 2024.
The reality is that the SPU is not a new initiative. Former IGP Mohammed Adamu, said on September 9, 2019 that “the SPU was established in 2009 to fortify security around VIPs and diplomats who by all ramifications, must be protected and guarded against any unforeseen attacks.”
Since then, it has been operating as an arm within the Force Headquarters and has been the focus of every IGP even before its formal establishment. Each IGP has tried to rejig the unit in what has become a ‘rite of passage.’
On June 26, 2023, Egbetokun, as Acting IGP, announced the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force (PMF) from VIPs escort and guard duties. On April 22, 2025, as substantive IGP, he again ordered their withdrawal as part of the reorganisation of the PMF.
Earlier in 2003, then IGP Mustafa Adebayo Balogun even went to the extent of ordering such withdrawal from judicial officers and politicians. By October 13, 2003, they were redeployed back.
The same route was taken by IGP Ogbonnaya Onovo (August, 2009). Hafiz Ringim, who succeeded Onovo as IGP issued the same directive. His successor, Mohammed Abubakar, as part of the directives to restore professionalism, integrity and lost glory of the police profession, ordered the same withdrawal from private individuals and corporate bodies.
On March 12, 2016, then IGP Solomon Arase, directed that policemen on postings as orderlies to individuals, including politicians, be withdrawn immediately and redeployed to other more sensitive posts in order to provide the needed security across the country. In March 19, 2018, IGP Ibrahim Idris ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs, political and public officers across the country. On October 21, 2020, IGP Mohammed Adamu toed the same line.
We at Daily Trust support the fresh operationalisation of the SPU if only to stop their abuse over the years by senior officers in charge of police commands and formations, who assign most of the available personnel to undeserving politicians, businessmen and whosoever could afford to pay, leaving fewer numbers for real policing for the generality of the citizens.
But we insist that there must be fresh recruitment of rank and file to fill the vacuum of the personnel deployed to the unit. We demand that the few available police personnel should not be deployed in securing the elite while other Nigerians are left at the mercy of criminal elements.
This is because the country is already under-policed. The current police-to-citizen ratio in Nigeria with about 370,000 officers is approximately 1:650. This means there is one police officer for every 650 citizens, short of the United Nations recommended ratio of 1:450. And it is estimated that a significant portion, over 150,000 of the 450,000 police officers, are deployed to VIP security duties.
While the police hierarchy is on fresh recruitment and manning of the SPU, they should work on the issue of inadequate remunerations, welfare facilities and boosting the low morale that is pervading the police system.
We also urge that all SPU personnel must clearly be professionals, both in character and conduct, always be guided by law, operating within the framework of legality and never would be employed to settle personal scores involving politics, business or socially-elated.
There must also be clear rules on the accommodation, provision of operational vehicles, houses of duty, areas of operations and responsibilities, payment of allowances or use of firearms for all SPU personnel. They must not be used in movement during odd hours or be seen at clubs/night parties or unusual places, or carrying out odd duties including carrying bags, tying shoe laces of VIPs or holding their umbrellas.
We caution that it would be dangerous to concentrate on policing the elite at the expense of members of the larger society who are daily assaulted with kidnappings and attacks on their lives and property. What looks like creation of layers of security for the elite should not inadvertently result in distancing of police personnel from the people they were primarily recruited to serve.
After all, it is their constitutional responsibility to take care of the nation’s internal security, and it is their failure that necessitated the deployment of soldiers across the nation for Internal Security Operations (ISOs).
Daily Trust also implores the police to ensure that the current quest to rejig the SPU should be an interim measure. In the medium to long term, we urge the police to work out modalities for licencing armed security companies to provide specialised security services for the nation’s elite, to those who can afford to pay. The current arrangement is subsidising security for the elite at the expense of policing the public.
We insist that what Nigeria requires are clear and renewed efforts toward addressing critical security concerns that affect our larger communities while restoring some measure of respect and dignity.