Beset by high inflation, insecurity, and a seemingly never-ending crisis in its petroleum sector, Nigeria appears to be biting more than it can chew yearly with the allocation of billions of naira in VIP (Very Important Persons) services.
To provide security for these folks, the Federal Government currently spends at least N131 billion yearly on salaries for police officers designated as escorts.
Sadly, these VIPs represent a scant 1.09 per cent of the country’s estimated 200 million people. This implies that 150,000 of the current 370,800 police officers are assigned to VIPs and private individuals!
However, according to the United Nations, one police officer should be assigned to every 450 people for effective policing. Nigeria, with a population estimated at 206,139,589, would thus require an average of 2.5 million officers nationwide.
Unfortunately, the practice of attaching large numbers of security officers to affluent VIPs and private businesspeople has continued despite the current workforce shortage of Nigerian police officers compared to the numbers recommended by the UN.
The Guardian investigation revealed that these escorts are mainly drawn from the ranks of Corporals, Sergeants and Inspectors. Earlier in the week, Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina state, during an interview with DW Hausa, Radda specifically said only 39 police officers were patrolling one Local Government Area (LGA) in the state.
The governor, who didn’t state which of the LGAs, said it comprises 10 wards and over 200 villages, adding that among the 39 officers, only nine guns are available, with just five operational.
“We have come up with an initiative that for any community ready to defend itself, we will give them necessary support and training to engage criminals before the arrival of the security agents,” Radda added.
The situation may not be very different in many states as state governors have had to go the extra mile to find a way to protect citizens, leveraging community policing and regional security outfits like Amotekun among others.
With policing seemingly outsourced and at the instance of the highest bidders, there are concerns about the government performing its constitutional function of protecting lives and properties. This has led to a rise in kidnapping and anxiety among Nigerians on the state of insecurity in the country.
Researchers from the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) reported over 55,910 civilian deaths in Nigeria during a four-year study from October 2019 to September 2023.
Similarly, a report by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, a geopolitical research firm, showed that between July 2023 and June 2024, no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country. In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least N10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received N1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5 per cent of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in their victimology
In 2021, N455 billion was budgeted for the Police, N559 billion in 2022 and N838 billion in 2023. In 2024, the Police budget stands at N969.6 billion.
The Police Service Commission in a most recent published report stated that more than 150,000 police officers were attached to VIPs and unauthorised persons in the country, out of the 400,000 police officers presently in service.
The officers of the Nigeria Police Force are not only remunerated on a salary structure. They are also compensated with other benefits and welfare packages.
The officers of NPF are enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme, which covers both them and their families, traveling and housing allowance.
Furthermore, the NPF has a cooperative society that helps members access loans, and savings, and buy goods at a subsidised rate from trusted customers.
Special marshals are also covered by an insurance policy in case of death through road traffic accidents, and they are also protected by an immunity provision in the Act.
The Nigeria Police training allowance for those who joined the police using SSCE certificate is between N10,000 and N13,000 while the training allowance for graduates is between N18,000 and N25,000.
Subsidising security services for the politically-exposed minority leaves the vast populace unprotected and constitutes an unfair utilisation of taxes paid by many Nigerians.
A senior officer affirmed that in some cases, Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) and even Deputy Superintendents of Police are seconded as heads of escorts for politically-exposed persons like high-ranking senators and governors. According to the officer, the practice is rare but is considered and cherished by officers involved because of its allure.
Officers in these positions are paid about N73,231.51 monthly. Thus, the 150,000 personnel get N10,984,726,500 monthly and N131,816,718,000 yearly. Apart from salaries and payments, these escorts are also kitted out using taxpayers’ money.
In an apparent bid to show financial implications, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) said, “To fully kit a police officer costs at least N3 million.”
A security expert broke down the kit as consisting of “a uniform, taser, tactical gear (light, knife, jacket, belt, gloves, knee pads, shoulder pads, ankle pads and boots), bulletproof vest, ballistic helmet, tear gas, push-to-talk cellular communication equipment, rain gear, etc.”
The LSSTF did not state how often officers are kitted out. However, the estimated 150,000 officers are expected to be kitted out with approximately N45billion.
For a country that owes close to N122 trillion in international and domestic debt and uses over 90 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to service this debt, providing security for VIPs is a massive hole in the pocket. Besides worsening the security situation, it also makes political office overtly attractive and unnecessarily expensive.
Concernedly, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on the assumption of office, vowed to withdraw Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel from VIPs.
He also announced plans to establish the Special Intervention Squad, which, according to him, would have 40,000 highly trained police officers, including selected officers from the PMF. However, a year after the proposal, the policy has not been implemented, as police escorts still mill around VIPs.
However, the Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Industrial Security, Dr Wilson Esangbedo, downplayed the IGP’s proposal, even as he lamented that one-third of the police are unavailable due to escort jobs.
He noted that the first thing every IGP does upon assuming office is to withdraw police escorts from VIPs, but once they are under pressure from politicians, they release them back to the VIPs. He stressed that this has been a disturbing trend in the country and has led to an increase in insecurity. Esangbedo said the best line of defence for any country is private, community-based or internal security mechanisms.
“When you go to other countries like Rwanda, South Africa, or even the United States, their internal security department carries out these tasks. They provide security for cash on transit; their regular police are not involved.
“They provide security for shops, stores and businesses and are even licensed to carry arms like pistols and shotguns. When that happens, it creates room for the police and the military to do their core duties.
“We have OPMESA and others who should be involved in internal security. The army are not supposed to be involved in internal security. The army is well trained to fight, kill and defend the country against any form of insurgency and terrorism and not work for a selected few VIPs,” he said.
Esangbedo said for a remedy, Nigeria needs to go back to its drawing board and seriously improve its security architecture. “We also need to allow these internal security organisations to do their jobs without interference and disturbance, and also let them be the people to work with VIPs,” he said.
“The cost of maintaining police escorts is a multi-billion-naira business, and it can only take strong will by the government to let it work as it should. Those VIPs who have multiple police escorts pay for their services.
“Both corporate organisations, companies and even private individuals apply to the IGP before they can use police services, and they must wait to get a letter of approval from the IGP before usage. Once they get the letter of approval, they are asked to pay some money before using the police or MOPOL services,” he added.
A human rights lawyer, Dr Monday Ubani, noted that VIPs with police security pay handsomely for the protection. He lamented a system that allows VIPs to have police officers guard them while over 98 per cent of Nigerians are unguarded.
“Why must such a system exist in the first place? Why can’t there be adequate security for everyone, everywhere, to guarantee safety for every citizen? Do these VIPs have such protection whenever they travel to developed countries? We have always seen them on trains and buses without special police protection. So, why such a system in their home country if not because there is a failure in the security system?” he queried.
Ubani advised the federal government to protect every life and property and end the “nonsense” of assigning police officers to VIPs. “It is a failed state that practises such a useless system. Protection of life and property remains the primary responsibility of the state,” he added.
BUT Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, said there is no going back on the IGP’s proposal to withdraw PMF personnel from VIPs. He explained, “The Force wishes to clarify that the decision to withdraw PMF personnel from escort and guard duties stands firm, and there will be no going back on this critical policy change.
“The withdrawal process has already commenced with a comprehensive report, which has been submitted by the constituted committee assigned to oversee the seamless implementation of this directive.
“And the IGP has activated the mobilisation process for the establishment of the Police Quick Intervention Squad, which precedes the withdrawal policy.”
Adejobi said the decision to withdraw PMF personnel from VIP duties is part of ongoing efforts to optimise the allocation of resources and enhance the efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force in its core mandate of safeguarding the life and property of all citizens.
He nevertheless clarified the Force is committed to providing adequate security arrangements for VIPs who are entitled to such protection. Adejobi said the Force will consider the provisions of Sections 23 to 25 of the Police Act 2020 in recruiting more supernumerary officers to handle VIP security responsibilities, stressing, “No VIP or critical infrastructure will be left unprotected as a result of the new policy.
“The Inspector-General of Police remains resolute in pursuing reforms and initiatives that will enhance the professionalism and public trust in the Nigeria Police Force.”
He added: “The decision to withdraw PMF personnel from VIPs is driven by the need to create a more robust, efficient, and people-centred police force that caters to the security needs of all citizens equally.”
