Our Correspondent | Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of around 100,000 police officers attached to VIPs and politically exposed persons, directing their immediate redeployment to frontline policing and counter-insurgency operations in response to a wave of mass abductions sweeping northern Nigeria.
Announcing the decision on Sunday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu had resolved to “boost police presence in all communities” amid the country’s deepening security challenges.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for Very Important Persons,” Onanuga said. “Henceforth, police authorities will deploy them to concentrate on their core police duties.”
He added that the President had also approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional personnel and a nationwide upgrade of police training facilities.
The directive comes amid longstanding criticism of the Nigeria Police Force for allocating a disproportionate share of its manpower to VIP protection. A 2025 report by the European Union Agency for Asylum noted that Nigeria’s policing deficits are “worsened by the diversion of a significant portion of available personnel to VIP protection rather than community policing and crime prevention.”
Troop Withdrawal Before School Attack Sparks Outrage
The reforms follow public uproar over revelations that soldiers assigned to guard St Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, withdrew shortly before bandits abducted more than 300 children and staff.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, visibly angered during a solidarity visit from labour leaders, demanded answers: “We provided intelligence reports. We alerted them. So, who gave the order for troops to withdraw at that critical hour?”
Community leaders corroborated the concern. The District Head of Maga, Muhammad Dantani, told reporters: “Unknown to us, they left the school around 1 a.m., just a short time before the attack began. We still don’t know who gave the order or why they withdrew.”
Responding, Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said the military had begun a full review to determine “the circumstances surrounding troop movements” and assured that “corrective measures will be taken if any lapses are found.”
Military Escalates Rescue Operations
The Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, Major General Warrah Idris, ordered intensified operations, declaring during a visit to the area: “The bandits are clearly feeling the heat of our operations and will find no safe haven. Remain vigilant and relentless.”
A senior officer involved in the mission added anonymously: “We are closing in on them… Rescuing these children is our top priority.”
States Shut Schools as Fear Spreads
In Kebbi State, authorities have shut down all secondary schools—public and private—and several tertiary institutions. Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Halima Bande, said:
“Our priority at this critical moment is the safety of our children.”
Security adviser to the Sokoto State Governor, Col. Ahmed Usman (retd.), criticised the move as counterproductive: “Closing schools should not become the default whenever threats emerge… It is a serious setback and encourages the perpetrators.”
Pupils Escape; 253 Remain in Captivity – Niger
There was relief in Niger State after 50 abducted pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday. The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, confirmed:
“We received good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents.”
However, 253 students and 12 staff members remain in captivity.
38 Kwara Worshippers Freed After Intervention
In Kwara, all 38 worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, were rescued on Sunday. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, credited the breakthrough to Tinubu’s “hands-on approach”, saying: “The President had called off his scheduled trip for the G20 Meeting… to attend to the breaches in Kwara and Kebbi States.”
Pope, APC Weigh In
From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV appealed for the immediate release of all abducted schoolchildren, saying he felt “immense sadness” and urging prayers that “churches and schools may remain places of safety and hope.”
The ruling APC suggested the wave of attacks may be politically orchestrated. Deputy National Organising Secretary Nze Chidi Duru said: “A sense could be gleaned of wanting to create a stampede in the country… an organised, choreographed and orchestrated sense of insecurity.”
Calls for Prosecution of Saboteurs
APC chieftain Olatunbosun Oyintiloye urged the Federal Government to root out internal saboteurs:
“Saboteurs within the system must be flushed out before they cause more damage.”