The Senate has ordered its Committee on Police Affairs to investigate claims that President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs is being applied selectively.
The decision came after Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central complained during Tuesday’s plenary that lawmakers were being stripped of their police orderlies, while ministers, business figures, political families, and entertainers continued to move around with full security teams.
Ningi told the chamber that his only police orderly had been withdrawn, stressing that such treatment exposed lawmakers to danger and defeated the purpose of the President’s reform.
“It should be done across the board. I have seen ministers with heavy security, business concerns with their orderlies, children of political office holders with orderlies, and even singers enjoying full protection. But a Senator of the Federal Republic cannot have even one orderly? This is unheard of in any democracy,” he said.
He explained that he had no problem following the President’s policy as long as the same rules applied to everyone.
“Let me not see governors, ministers, and business concerns being covered by the security establishment while the National Assembly is made a scapegoat. This is not right, and it should be taken seriously,” he added.
The order to withdraw police escorts from VIPs was issued in November as part of a wider plan to strengthen internal security and deploy more officers to public safety duties.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin confirmed that the matter had been discussed by Senate leadership, and he agreed that the implementation of the directive appeared selective.
“We expect a reaction regarding the police orderlies withdrawn from senators. Why is the directive of the President being flouted, underpinned that the President issued the order in good faith to strengthen the police and tackle internal security issues,” he said.
He assured senators that efforts were being made to address their concerns.
“The issue raised to protect you is being taken seriously. The leadership agreed yesterday that action should be taken to restore your police orderlies. We have a listening President, and I am sure he will act.”
Jibrin then directed the Committee on Police Affairs to carry out a full investigation into why some individuals were still retaining police escorts in defiance of the presidential order.
The committee is expected to report back in four weeks.
