By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police personnel from Very Important Persons (VIPs), describing the move as “political theatre” that fails to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.

In a strongly worded statement signed by its Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on November 24, 2025, the party said the decision is nothing more than a recycled policy stunt that lacks depth, strategy, and an understanding of the sophistication of the country’s security threats.

The ADC argued that despite making good headlines, the directive is neither new nor strategic, recalling that similar instructions were issued twice in 2025 by the Inspector General of Police but never implemented. According to the party, this repetition underscores the government’s “lack of appreciation of the complexity of the security situation.”

Abdullahi said even if the withdrawal is eventually enforced, it will not solve the structural and operational challenges confronting the police, noting that the personnel being reassigned are “ill-equipped, ill-trained, and ill-prepared” to confront insurgents and violent criminals whose tactics continue to evolve.

The statement questioned the government’s claim that the move would redeploy 100,000 additional officers to frontline duties. The ADC demanded evidence to back the figure as well as details on operational planning, logistics, and training for officers long accustomed to VIP escort roles.

The party further criticised the decision to replace withdrawn police details with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), an agency whose core mandate, it noted, revolves around disaster management and community safety—not VIP protection.

According to the ADC, Nigeria’s security crisis requires “a holistic national security strategy anchored on intelligence, modernisation, and the integration of all security agencies into a coordinated counter-insurgency force,” rather than cosmetic policy announcements aimed at public appeasement.

The party insisted that only a thorough restructuring, retraining, and re-equipping of the police and other security outfits can meaningfully restore national security, urging the Tinubu administration to “move beyond pronouncements and press briefings” and embark on a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s security architecture.