By KELECHI OGUNLEYE

The Federal Government has announced plans to stop the misuse of security operatives by Very Important Persons (VIPs).

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, said this during the Ministry of Interior?s performance retreat on Thursday in Abuja.

Bala-Usman insisted that the use of security operatives by the elite for protection should no longer deprive Nigerians of adequate security.

She decried the widespread diversion of police personnel, including specialized anti-terrorism squads to VIP escort duties, saying such practices have left critical security gaps across the country.

?We cannot continue to deploy police that have been trained for anti-terrorism to be guiding VIPs in Ikoyi.

?That is completely wrong. If the person feels he needs protection, let him go and pay a licensed security company to provide it,? she said.

She revealed that the government was pushing for an amendment to the Private Guard Companies (PGCs) Act to empower certified private security firms to handle VIP protection services.

?We must free our policemen to do national security as required so, whoever feels too important, needing submachine guns around him, should go and hire PGC with the necessary documentation and not take our mobile policemen,? Bala-Usman added.

The presidential aide noted that Nigeria?s police force was overstretched with the actual number of officers available on the ground falling far below the official strength.

According to her, redeploying officers from VIP escorts to national security operations was long overdue.

She further suggested integrating retired senior police officers into structured private security companies to professionalize the industry and create jobs.

Bala-Usman stressed that the reform was among the high-impact deliverables her office was tracking while urging the Ministry of Interior and the National Assembly to fast-track the legislative process before the third quarter of 2025.

?VIP protection is not a public entitlement. It is a service that should be paid for; our policemen must be freed to protect Nigerians at large, not just a privileged few,? she declared. (NAN)

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