Moves by the Federal Government to pull police officers away from political office holders and influential Nigerians have triggered quiet manoeuvring within Nigeria’s security architecture, with some Department of State Services operatives reportedly seeking fresh VIP assignments.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police escorts attached to private individuals and politicians, attention has shifted to how top officials and wealthy Nigerians are filling the security vacuum.
The presidential order, issued on November 24, was framed as part of broader efforts to redirect security resources to communities battling worsening insecurity, particularly kidnapping and violent crimes across several northern states.
In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu instructed that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps should assume responsibility for VIP protection previously handled by the police.
Soon after, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, confirmed that over 11,500 officers attached to VIPs had been withdrawn and reassigned to frontline policing duties in crime-prone areas.
However, emerging accounts suggest that some operatives of the DSS have begun discreetly reaching out to prominent Nigerians, offering themselves as alternative security details following the police pullout.
A senior official of a federal revenue agency in Lagos disclosed that DSS officers familiar to him had visited his office on multiple occasions, urging him to request their deployment through the agency’s state command.
“The policemen attached to me were withdrawn last week, and I was already weighing the option of requesting Civil Defence personnel,” the official said.
“Then these DSS officers started coming around, asking me to speak to their state director so they could be posted here.”
He added that the officers appeared motivated by the perceived benefits of the location, describing it as an attractive posting.
Nonetheless, he expressed reservations about pursuing the request, questioning the capacity of the DSS to sustain widespread VIP deployments.
Similar approaches were reported in Osogbo, Osun State, where an aide to a prominent businessman and religious leader confirmed that DSS operatives had contacted members of the family to lobby for replacement roles.
“They told Baba’s children to speak with him so he could influence their deployment after the police escorts were withdrawn,” the aide said.
Within the DSS, senior officers have reportedly frowned at such moves, describing them as misguided and unlikely to succeed under current deployment policies.
A high-ranking DSS officer familiar with internal procedures explained that recent reforms limit VIP postings to specific categories, stressing that senior personnel are no longer arbitrarily assigned.
“Under the current leadership, officers above a certain level are restricted to core assignments like the State House or governors,” the officer said.
“Anyone chasing private VIP postings outside these rules is probably on a futile mission.”
Another DSS operative acknowledged that the agency has a statutory role in protecting high-profile individuals but cautioned against interpreting the situation as a free-for-all.
“There may be some truth that a few officers are trying to position themselves,” he said.
“However, VIP protection is part of our mandate, and any deployment must follow laid-down protocols. It is not something individuals can simply lobby their way into.”
The unfolding situation highlights the complex ripple effects of the Federal Government’s security reforms, as agencies adjust to new boundaries while influential Nigerians search for alternatives in a tightened protection landscape.