The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has withdrawn a total of 11,566 police officers attached to private citizens across the country.
This was in compliance with the directive of President Bola Tinubu over rising insecurities across the country.
IGP Egbetokun gave the confirmation on Thursday while speaking at a meeting with strategic police officers in Abuja.
He further revealed that the withdrawn personnel would be redeployed to various states of the federation to beef up security.
He noted that the withdrawal of police personnel on guard duty with private citizens would be done in phases.
Recall that Tinubu had directed the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country, in a major shake-up of security deployment.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs seeking armed security escorts must now apply to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The directive formed part of resolutions reached during the president’s security meeting with service chiefs in Abuja on Sunday.
The presidency had explained that the move is aimed at restoring the police to their core duties and improving their presence in communities grappling with insecurity.