Auwal Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has publicly urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that his recent order for the withdrawal of police protection for Very Important Persons (VIPs) is fully implemented and applied without bias.
Rafsanjani made this plea on Monday, the 24th of November, 2024, during an appearance on the Channels Television programme, ‘The Morning Brief.’
The CISLAC Executive Director expressed significant concern about the potential for arbitrary enforcement, stating: “I hope that Mr. President’s directives will be fully implemented and not applied selectively. It is concerning when some individuals continue to have police escorts even to clubs and lounges, while many communities lack basic police presence. We need to address this imbalance.”
Rafsanjani lamented the misplaced priorities in security deployment, which sees police personnel assigned to VIP protection even as numerous communities remain highly vulnerable to attacks. He stressed that the intended benefit of withdrawing police personnel from guarding non-governmental VIPs is to free up the security forces to be better utilized in protecting communities.
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Furthermore, he highlighted the inefficiency of checkpoints, noting that despite a heavy police presence on the roads, criminal activities regrettably persist as soon as vehicles move past each checkpoint.
This call for strict adherence to the new policy comes just after President Bola Tinubu issued the directive on Sunday, ordering the withdrawal of police officers currently providing security for VIPs across the country.