House of Representatives member Clement Jimbo has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police security from VIPs, warning it exposes lawmakers and politicians to greater d+nger.
Speaking on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief, the Akwa Ibom lawmaker said the order puts legislators—especially those from the North—at heightened risk.
“You are further exposing them to insecurity, and their lives could be in d+nger,” he said.
Jimbo, an APC member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, argued that the government’s primary duty is the security and welfare of citizens, citing Sections 12 and 14 of the Constitution.
“If the federal government is failing in this constitutional provision and anything happens to a lawmaker as a result of this directive, Mr President should be held accountable,” he said.
He urged President Tinubu to reverse the order immediately and instead formalise the security arrangement to generate national revenue. Jimbo suggested recruiting at least 15,000 youths into the police or creating a private security unit dedicated to VIP protection.
“Those of us that have this security personnel around us are not free. We pay for it,” he added, arguing that Nigeria could earn “a minimum of N20 trillion annually” from regulated VIP security services.
Jimbo also rejected the idea that only politicians are VIPs.
“Every single Nigerian is a VIP,” he said, insisting that anyone who needs protection should have the right to hire security personnel.
President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police from VIPs on 23 November. The Special Protection Unit has begun implementation after an audit revealed 11,566 officers assigned to VIP duty.
Although the Senate has appealed for an exemption, Tinubu maintained that the redeployment is “not negotiable,” directing the NSA, Minister of Police Affairs, and IGP to enforce compliance. He stressed that police officers must serve the general public, particularly the most vulnerable—not a select group of VIPs.
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