Senator Ali Ndume has called for the withdrawal of police officers attached to the National Assembly, saying the Federal Government’s clampdown on VIP escorts should not spare lawmakers.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the Senator representing Borno South welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the removal of police personnel from very important persons, but said the order appeared to be inconsistently enforced.
Ndume revealed he was surprised to find what he described as a heavy police presence within the National Assembly complex on Thursday, despite the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, announcing that more than 11,000 officers had been withdrawn from VIP duties.
“I thought today I would not see so many police in the National Assembly, but there are still crowded policemen at the National Assembly. So I don’t know what the IGP is talking about,” he said.
When asked whether escorts should also be removed from senators and members of the House of Representatives, Ndume replied, “Everybody,” arguing that securing Abuja should make personal police protection unnecessary.
“If you secure Abuja, why do you need police attached to personalities?” he asked.
He criticised what he described as an abuse of police resources by politicians, claiming officers are routinely assigned to spouses and even adult children.
“Some of our colleagues, some ministers have police attached to their wives. What is their business with that?” he said.
He added that he recently saw “a politically exposed person’s son, who is matured,” moving with a full convoy.
Ndume said Abuja could be as safe as Abidjan or Accra if police officers were redeployed to public safety rather than political protection.
“Recently I travelled to Abidjan… it’s safe. You can go around. There is no armed robbery in Côte d’Ivoire and in Ghana, the same thing,” he said.
President Tinubu on 23 November instructed the IGP to recall around 100,000 officers from VIP duties and redeploy them to core policing roles, amid a surge in attacks, abductions and concerns over the overstretching of the police.
On Wednesday, Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency and authorised additional recruitment across the armed forces and the police.
“The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000,” he said in a personally signed statement.
READ ALSO: IGP Withdraws 11,566 Police Officers From VIP Duties After Presidential Order
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