Following President Bola Tinubu’s withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs, some officers of the Department of State Services have started lobbying influential Nigerians to take them on as personal security details, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

President Tinubu had, on November 24, ordered the withdrawal of all police officers attached to VIPs and politicians as part of an aggressive push against escalating nationwide threats, including kidnapping spikes in Kwara, Kebbi, Niger and other parts of the North.

A statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu directed armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to take up the VIP protection duties from the police...TAP TO CONTINUE FULL READING.

In fulfilment of the President’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, three days later, said a total of 11,566 personnel had been withdrawn from VIP duties and redeployed.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Egbetokun said the order was designed to refocus policing on communities ravaged by crime.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that following the police recall, prominent Nigerians have been reaching out to the NSCDC and private security companies for the supply of orderlies and security escorts.

Also, findings revealed that some DSS officers have been approaching some of the highly placed VIPs to request that they ask their state directors to deploy them as new security guards.

The secret meeting

One of the VIPs, who spoke with one of our correspondents in Lagos on Thursday, said the DSS officers who had been relating with him for long saw the withdrawal of the policemen as an opportunity to serve in a “juicy place.”

He said the secret policemen had met him twice to ask that he speak with their state director and request that they be deployed as his new security guards.

The VIP, a top executive at a Federal Government revenue-generating agency in Lagos, said, “The policemen attached to me were withdrawn last week, and I was considering getting men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“But these DSS officers are showing up and presenting themselves as alternatives. They came here twice to request that I speak with their state director so they can be deployed here as my new security details. They are known persons to me, so they must have seen this place as a juicy area.”

Asked if he would consider their request, the VIP said, “I am not sure. The reason being that what is the total number of the DSS?”

Similarly, an aide to a businessman and religious leader in Osogbo, Osun State, told Saturday PUNCH that he was aware of the interest of some DSS officers in being deployed to the man after his policemen were withdrawn.

The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, disclosed that some DSS officers had approached the businessman’s children to indicate interest in becoming the new security details.

“I know that some DSS have got across to Baba’s children, telling them to speak with him so he can influence their deployment to him. They want to replace the policemen who have been withdrawn,” he said.

However, a senior DSS officer who is aware of his colleagues’ moves said some of the personnel making the move are “lower cadre.”

According to him, unlike the police, the DSS has strict rules on attaching its officers to VIPs, adding that the current Director-General of the Service, Adeola Ajayi, eradicated “arbitrary posting.”

“I’m aware that some of our men are seeking to replace policemen attached to some high-profile VIPs. I don’t want to talk much about that, but I can tell you that those making the move are lower cadre, not senior officers.

“The new rule under the current DG is that anybody above Level 13 should not be deployed to VIPs except to the governor or the State House in Abuja. The DG has eradicated arbitrary deployment. So, those seeking to be attached to the VIPs now may be engaging in a wild goose chase,” he said.

Another DSS officer told Saturday PUNCH that providing protection for VIPs is part of the agency’s statutory responsibility, even as he cautioned his colleagues against being “desperate” to secure such postings.

“There is an element of truth in every rumour. That some officers are lobbying to be deployed to VIPs after the withdrawal of police may be true. However, it is wrong to assume that attaching DSS personnel to VIPs is out of place. No. We have the statutory responsibility to protect VIPs.

“But the deployment of any officer will follow all established protocols, which are not for public consumption. So, those eyeing ‘juicy’ postings or deployment to highly placed VIPs should remember that it is not automatic,” he said.

Demand for private escorts surges

Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that demand for private security escorts has surged nationwide following the President’s directive to withdraw policemen from VIPs.

Several security operators, who spoke to our correspondents in separate interviews on Thursday, confirmed that they had received multiple requests for travel escorts from VIPs across the country.

The Managing Director of Sheriff Deputies, Mr Island Anyasi, said the spike in demand had also come with fresh challenges.

“The demand has increased since that order was given by the President,” he said.

“We, as private companies, have always worked with the police and the NSCDC to fulfil those VIP protection duties. But now, we have been restricted to the NSCDC. But they are overwhelmed with demands at this time, and they seem ill-prepared to fill that gap.”

Anyasi noted that requests had doubled in the past week, mostly from individuals preparing for interstate travel.

“Even if we are not carrying arms, you still need to secure yourselves. So, people are making those demands to buffer their security in the absence of armed personnel,” he added.

Similarly, the Lagos Operations Manager for Proton Company Limited, Mr Felix Bamgbose, confirmed a sharp rise in requests from highly placed personalities.

He said the demand had been far above the usual level in the past week, adding that the withdrawal of police personnel had also affected their operations.

“Over the past one week, we have received high requests for our security guards. The request has been a lot more than the usual. But the police withdrawal has also affected our services,” he said.

Bamgbose noted that while private security guards could not carry firearms, some firms were licensed to deploy armed escorts through partnerships with agencies permitted to bear arms.

“It is the licence that makes us eligible for the partnership,” he added.

The Managing Director of Chogon Private Security Company Ltd, Mr Anselm Ozueh, also described the surge as unprecedented.

He said, “The request for escorts has been increasing daily because of that singular announcement. Before now, VIP protection has been what the Nigeria police offer to highly placed personalities in society. But the President’s order has made private security companies stand in the gap. Before, we usually have about 20 per cent demand for our security escorts. But right now, it has jumped to 70 per cent.”

Ozueh said he received calls from Abuja, Anambra, Lagos and Oyo on Thursday alone.

Explaining why VIPs still demand escorts despite the guards being unarmed, he said, “The confidence was supposed to be in the arms, the rifle. But right now, there is no rifle. But those coming perhaps believe that it is better to move around with someone who has a bit of security knowledge than to travel all alone.

“The escorts can come in the way of a bodyguard, a bouncer or someone who has a certain level of security intelligence to accompany you and help ward off small miscreants.”

He noted that in view of the rising demand, a circular was sent on Wednesday to private security companies on how they could request armed escorts from the NSCDC.

Senate says no plan to seek protection for lawmakers

Meanwhile, the Senate has dismissed concerns that it is seeking special security protection for its members, insisting there is “no plan whatsoever” to pursue collective protection.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, said the upper chamber had not discussed, considered or contemplated any move to request security cover for senators as a group.

He noted that, as with other government officials, individual lawmakers were free to make personal arrangements for their protection.

Adaramodu stressed that the President’s declaration of a national security emergency already provided a clear and uniform procedure for everyone in public office.

He explained that the President had directed anyone requiring personal security, including senators, to approach the NSCDC and make a formal request.

“What we understand is that, following the President’s declaration of a security emergency, all security agencies, especially the police, must ensure they have enough personnel to confront the current challenges. We fully support the President on this. He has already made it clear that anyone who needs protection should approach the NSCDC and make a formal request.

“Every senator should simply follow that procedure and contact the NSCDC for security arrangements. Even in the past, when former senators needed protection, the Senate never met to make such requests on their behalf. There will be no time when the Senate sits to seek special security provisions for its members.

“The President has already advised all government officials, whether senators, ministers or heads of agencies, to reach out to the NSCDC if they require security.”

Adaramodu urged senators to remain calm, assuring them that the security agencies, particularly the police, had been tasked with strengthening manpower in response to the country’s rising security threats.

“There is no reason for senators to panic. Besides, more police personnel will soon be recruited. There are ongoing plans to add about 50,000 officers to the force,” he added.

Attacks on VIPs could trigger tension — Forest guards

In the meantime, the Commander General of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, Joshua Osatimehin, has warned that any attack or abduction involving a senator, minister or other high-profile individual could trigger tension in the country.

He spoke in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, while listing the potential risks and implications of the police escort withdrawal from the VIPs.

Osatimehin, however, noted that the organisation was ready to provide protection for the important personalities, as his men had been offering such services long before the latest instruction.

“The President’s order is not a lasting solution to insecurity because if any senator is abducted or harmed, it will create tension among Nigerians,” he said.

“If a senator or a minister can be kidnapped, what hope does an ordinary Nigerian have? What image would Nigeria be portraying to the international community?”

Osatimehin emphasised that insecurity must be tackled from its roots, especially in the forests where criminal groups operate.

He also acknowledged that the Forest Guards lacked the manpower and equipment required to provide full VIP protection.

As a volunteer-based organisation with limited access to weapons, he said their capacity remained restricted.

“We can only do our best within the limits of our capacity. We are a volunteer group, and we are limited to bear some rifles. So, the only solution to this issue is for the government to commission us officially so that we have access to modern and sophisticated weapons to fight insecurity,” he said.