No fewer than 100,000 police officers attached to Very Important Persons and politicians will be withdrawn and redeployed to core policing duties, including counter-insurgency operations, as part of a strategy to rout the terrorists rampaging across the country.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers at a security meeting held on Sunday in Abuja, attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
A statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said VIPs requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of the police.
An estimated 100,000 policemen are attached to VIPs and politically exposed persons across the country, while fewer personnel are available for public protection.
Despite several promises by successive Inspectors-General to withdraw the police officers on orderly duties, this has not been done.
A report published in November 2025 by the European Union Agency for Asylum, noted that the Nigeria Police Force has an estimated strength of 371,800 officers serving a population of about 236.7 million people.
It stated that the country’s policing deficits are worsened by the diversion of a significant portion of available personnel to VIP protection rather than community policing and crime prevention.
The report said, “Both recent sources and sources dating back as far as 2007 claimed that the NPF had an estimated strength of 371,800, serving a total population estimated in 2024 at 236,747,130.
Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at the stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult.’’
Announcing the Presidential directive on Sunday, Onanuga said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons in the country.
“Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties. In view of the current security challenges facing the country, President Tinubu is desirous of boosting police presence in all communities.’’
He also disclosed that the President has approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel and that the Federal Government is working with states to upgrade police training facilities nationwide.
Those in attendance at Sunday’s meeting included the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Adeola Ajayi.
Following reports that the troops guarding St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, were withdrawn some minutes before the school was attacked and dozens of girls taken away, the Defence Headquarters said it had begun a review of the troops’ redeployment.
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, had demanded explanations from military authorities over the withdrawal of troops from the school after it was allegedly abandoned by troops deployed to protect the pupils.
Speaking while receiving the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who led a solidarity visit to the state, the governor said he was “deeply troubled” that security personnel pulled out of the school despite prior intelligence alerts provided by the state government.
According to the governor, soldiers reportedly left the school around 3am while the attackers struck less than 45 minutes later.
“We provided intelligence reports. We alerted them. So, who gave the order for troops to withdraw at that critical hour?” Idris queried, calling for a full military investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Similarly, the District Head of Maga, Muhammad Dantani, told the Newsmen that he confirmed the presence of soldiers at the school around midnight on the day of the attack, but they left about an hour later.
“Unknown to us, they left the school around 1 a.m., just a short time before the attack began. We still don’t know who gave the order or why they withdrew,” he said.
He added that police personnel at the location said they took cover when the attackers arrived because the bandits were too many and heavily armed.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said the military was investigating the governor’s allegation.
Onoja said the review would determine the circumstances surrounding troop movements in the area at the time of the attack, adding that corrective measures would be taken if any lapses were found.
Onoja assured that military operations to rescue the abducted students were ongoing and that the armed forces remained committed to strengthening security around schools and communities.
Military intensifies hunt for schoolgirls
In a related development, the Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj. Gen. Warrah Idris, has ordered troops to intensify efforts to locate the armed group behind the abduction of the students.
A statement on Sunday by Captain Davidi Adewusi, spokesman for the operation, said that during an assessment visit to the school on Saturday, General Idris received a detailed briefing from the General Officer Commanding 2 Division and Commander of Sector 3 OPFY, Maj Gen C.R. Nnebiefe, on the joint rescue efforts currently underway.
Idris directed troops to maintain overwhelming pressure until the students are safely recovered. “The bandits are clearly feeling the heat of our operations and will find no safe haven,” he said.
“Remain vigilant and relentless. They must not be given any breathing space until every child is back home.”He assured troops of full support from the Theatre Command. “Every resource you need will be made available. We will not slow down for a second,” he added.
A senior officer at the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, reinforced the military’s confidence. “We are closing in on them. The operations are coordinated and precise. Rescuing these children is our top priority,” the officer said.
Community leaders in Papiri expressed renewed hope following the high-level military visit. “Seeing the commanders on the ground reassures us,” one community representative said. “We believe this operation will bring our children home.”
Meanwhile, Col. Ahmed Usman (retd.), Special Adviser on Security to Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State, has criticised the ongoing closure of schools across northern Nigeria, describing it as an ineffective response to rising insecurity.
Usman stated this as the Kebbi State Government ordered the immediate closure of all public and private secondary schools across the state following the rising security threats, marking one of the most sweeping shutdowns of the education sector in recent years.
The directive also affects all state-owned tertiary institutions, with the exception of the College of Nursing Sciences, Birnin Kebbi.
The announcement was contained in a joint statement issued in Birnin Kebbi by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Halima Bande, and the Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Issa Abubakar-Tunga.
Bande said the decision was taken to safeguard students and staff amid “the recent disturbing cases of attacks in parts of the state.”
“Our priority at this critical moment is the safety of our children,” she said. “The closure of all secondary schools—public and private—is a precaution we cannot ignore, given the emerging security realities.”
The shutdown affects hundreds of secondary schools, including government day schools, boarding schools, and privately owned institutions across all 21 local government areas.
Many parents had already expressed anxiety following recent attacks on communities and the abduction of schoolgirls in Maga.
Alhaji Abubakar-Tunga explained that the state government was acting on security recommendations.
“We cannot expose students to avoidable risks,” he said. “All administrators of affected institutions must ensure immediate compliance. We will announce a new resumption date once the security situation improves.”
The tertiary institutions listed for closure include Kebbi State Polytechnic, Dakingari; Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero; College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega; Adamu Augie College of Education, Argungu; and the School of Remedial Studies, Yauri.The commissioners clarified that only the College of Nursing Sciences and Midwifery, Birnin Kebbi, will remain open.
They urged school authorities and the public to remain calm and cooperate with government directives while security agencies intensify operations across the state.
The statement was signed by Ahmed Idris, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
He warned that halting academic activities could embolden criminal groups.
“Protecting students and teachers is paramount, but closing schools should not become the default whenever threats emerge,” Usman said. “Such actions are a serious setback and encourage the perpetrators. Government must address insecurity with both kinetic and non-kinetic measures.”
But responding to the school shutdown, Usman stressed that the North’s future depends on uninterrupted access to education, noting that further disruptions would deepen poverty and limit opportunities for young people.
The governor’s aide urged security agencies, traditional rulers, and both federal and state governments to intensify collaboration to secure communities and learning centres.