The Nigeria Police Force has begun the withdrawal of the estimated 130, 000 personnel attached to unauthorised persons as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was disclosed in a statement Tuesday by Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro, a retired Inspector General of Police.
Working in collaboration with the Inspector-General Police, Solomon Arase, Okiro revealed that the PSC has concluded arrangements to deploy a high level monitoring team across airports, highways and other public places to enforce the presidential directive of immediate withdrawal of policemen attached to persons who are not entitled to their services.
“The monitoring team will have the powers to stop VIPs on the highways, airports etc, for confirmation of their status and that of the policemen attached to them,” statement signed by Ikechukwu Ani, head of information PSC said.
It added that “any erring VIP or policeman caught in such unauthorised beat will be prosecuted.”
Okiro insisted that the PSC and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force will enforce the presidential directive to the letter, stressing that henceforth only authorised government officials and VIPs will be entitled to police security.
He noted that the nation should not be battling with inadequate police manpower while majority of these scarce officers are in the service of few privileged Nigerians who ordinarily should have no need for them.
The police, he said, will now be “structured to do its primary duties of providing internal security and protecting lives and property” adding that “the Commission will give the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force the required support and encouragement to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness.”
Noting that some uniformed men attach themselves to VIPs for pecuniary gains, he warned that “we cannot afford to have more than half of the population of the police in private hands.”
Buhari on Thursday, August 20 directed Arase to prune down the number of policemen attached to dignitaries.
He also directed the police inspector general to redeploy all policemen withdrawn from that role to regular police duties.
