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President Bola Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of police officers attached to ministers and other top government officials, saying the security personnel were needed for core policing duties across the country.

The President gave the directive on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Tinubu said he would rather have police officers deployed for essential security work than assigned as personal escorts to government officials.

“I would rather offer police officers from the VIP Protection or Very Very Important Persons Unit to perform real policing duties,” the President stated. “I honestly believe in what I have said and I call on the Inspector-General of Police, and I hope the Minister for Police Affairs is here, to take note.”

He explained that the decision was driven by the need to strengthen national security and ensure that available law enforcement personnel were properly utilized.

“If you have any problem related to the nature of your assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance,” Tinubu said. “The Minister for Interior, along with the IGP and the Civil Defence structure, should replace those police officers who are on special security duties so that we don’t leave people exposed.”

The President also directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to provide additional intelligence and form a committee to review the current security structure.

“The first challenge is here and there, kidnapping and terrorism. We need all the forces that we can deploy,” he said. “I know some of our people are exposed, and we must make exceptional provisions for them. The Civil Defence officers are equally armed, and I want the NSA to take it very seriously, even to the point of arming our forest guards.”

Tinubu also charged the National Economic Committee (NEC) and the Vice President to accelerate the implementation of the livestock reform initiative as part of efforts to address recurring conflicts between farmers and herders.

“Especially on livestock reform, I think the Vice President should get NEC to identify which villages or grazing reserves can be salvaged or rehabilitated into ranches,” he said. “We must eliminate the possibility of conflict and turn livestock reform into an economically viable development.”

He emphasised that the initiative should be handled within the constitutional framework that recognizes land ownership by states.

“Whichever land they can salvage, convert it to livestock villages or other viable ventures,” Tinubu added. “Let us stop these conflict areas and turn them into economic opportunities and prosperity.”