Former Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has revealed why earlier efforts to withdraw police officers from Very Important Persons (VIPs) were unsuccessful. Speaking in Abuja at the launch of his biographies, “Giant Footprints” and “A Policeman Personified”, Baba explained that past directives failed because they were issued by police leadership rather than the President.
He expressed strong confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s recent order—aimed at tackling rising insecurity across the country—would be more effective. President Tinubu had instructed that police officers attached to VIPs be withdrawn and redeployed to strengthen security operations nationwide.
Baba hailed the President for demonstrating the political will needed to restore the police’s primary role in internal security. He noted that this was the first time such a directive was coming directly from a sitting President, unlike previous attempts by IGPs that could not be implemented fully.
Meanwhile, the Special Protection Unit (SPU) has also acted on the presidential directive. A memo signed by Neji Veronica, Commanding Officer of SPU Base 16 in Lagos, and circulated by the Presidency on X, ordered all officers attached to VIP protection and routine duties to report back to their base before the end of work on November 24.
