A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, on Wednesday, raised alarm that bandits are now issuing threats to abduct members of the National Assembly.
Wase made the revelation during the continuation of the House’s debate on the deteriorating national security situation.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider his recent directive ordering the withdrawal of police operatives attached to Very Important Personalities (VIPs).
President Tinubu had, on Sunday, November 23, mandated the removal of police escorts during a high-level security meeting in Abuja attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
The President instructed the Nigeria Police Force to redeploy these officers to focus on core policing responsibilities, prompting the Special Protection Unit to recall all personnel assigned to VIPs nationwide.
Under the new security framework, VIPs in need of protection must now request armed escorts from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead of relying on police officers.
According to the Presidency, the directive is designed to strengthen police presence in communities, particularly remote and underserved areas, where understaffed stations and rising criminal threats have left citizens increasingly vulnerable.
