Olukayode Egbetokun, acting inspector-general of police
(IGP), says personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) will no longer carry out
VIPs escort and guard duties.
Egbetokun spoke on Monday at a conference with police
tactical commanders in Abuja.
He said the force will conduct an assessment of all the
duties of the mobile police to ensure effective utilisation.
He said a special committee has been created to evaluate the
strategies and how it will be enforced, adding that the team would be headed by
the deputy inspector-general of police.
“Specifically, we
shall effect the withdrawal of PMF personnel from VIP escort and guard duties,”
NAN quoted Egbetokun as saying.
“While the protection of dignitaries remains paramount, it
is imperative that we realign our priorities to address the escalating security
challenges faced by the nation as a whole.
“By relieving the PMF of VIP escort and guard duties, we can
redirect their focus and efforts toward addressing critical security concerns
that affect our communities at large.”
SPU TO REPLACE PMF
He said the committee is expected to send in its report in
two weeks, adding that further details of the policy would be made available in
the coming weeks and months.
“To support the foregoing strategic plan and make needed
manpower available for frontline duties, the withdrawn PMF officers will be
replaced by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) only where
necessary,” he said.
“To ensure the smooth implementation of this policy, we
will, in consultation with the Police Service Commission, invoke the
supernumerary provision of Sections 23, 24 and 25 of the Police Act 2020.
“The act allows the
police to train supernumerary officers specifically for the personal protection
duties of individual Nigerians who require their services.”
Egbetokun added that the force will ensure that the policy
is enforced and strictly adhered to in line with best practices.
A TRADITION
It has become a tradition in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF)
for every newly appointed IGP to announce the withdrawal of police officers
attached to VIPs, and the dismantling of ubiquitous police roadblocks across
the country.
A few weeks after the announcements, police officers usually
return to protecting VIPs and the roadblocks would re-appear like they never
left.
In March 2018, Ibrahim Idris, the then IGP, ordered the
withdrawal of police officers from VIPs.
In October 2020, Mohammed Adamu, the then IGP, took the same
decision.
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