The recent European Union Agency for Asylum report revealing that over 100,000 policemen are assigned to protect politicians and very important persons (VIPs) is both alarming and telling of Nigeria’s lopsided security priorities.
Development Diaries reports that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has an estimated strength of 371,800 officers serving a population of about 236.7 million people.
According to the report, Nigeria’s policing deficits are worsened by the diversion of a significant portion of available personnel to VIP protection rather than community policing and crime prevention.
The report read, ‘Both recent sources and sources dating back as far as 2007 claimed that the NPF had an estimated strength of 371,800, serving a total population estimated in 2024 at 236,747,130.
‘The resulting shortage in police personnel was compounded by the fact that more than 100,000 police officers were assigned to the protection of politicians and VIPs, rather than to tasks serving the general population’.
Out of an estimated 371,800 police personnel serving a population of over 236 million, dedicating nearly a third to elite protection leaves ordinary citizens exposed and vulnerable.
This means that while a few hundred powerful individuals enjoy 24-hour security details, millions of Nigerians are left to fend for themselves in the face of banditry, kidnapping, and violent crime.
This imbalance exposes deep structural flaws within the NPF, from poor manpower management to misplaced priorities that favour political convenience over public safety.
The consequences are evident: delayed responses to distress calls, under-policed communities, and the erosion of citizens’ trust in law enforcement.
The report further highlights corruption and weak accountability as recurring problems, with some officers engaging in extortion, arbitrary arrests, and excessive force, often without facing disciplinary measures.
These are not just institutional lapses but moral failures that betray the essence of public service.
The policing deficit is also a direct reflection of the federal government’s failure to reform and professionalise the force.
According to a UK government country information note, Nigeria currently operates at a police-to-citizen ratio of roughly 1:636, far below the United Nations’ recommended 1:450 standard.
Yet, instead of expanding recruitment, improving training, and investing in community policing, a huge chunk of available personnel is tied up in private protection duties for the political class.
This imbalance undermines efforts to tackle rising crime rates, particularly in rural and outskirt areas.
To correct this, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, in collaboration with the Police Service Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs, must immediately review and recall officers attached to non-essential VIP duties.
The National Assembly, especially the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, must also push for reforms that strengthen accountability, curb corruption, and ensure better oversight of police deployment.
Nigeria cannot continue to police privilege while leaving its people unprotected, it is time to put citizens, not sirens, at the centre of security.
