The establishment of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to serve the elite raises critical concerns about the misallocation of scarce security resources in Nigeria.
Development Diaries reports that according to a report by Daily Trust, the Commander, Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 23 of the Nigeria Police, Minna, Niger State, Hassan Sani said the IGP newly established the SPU in view of increasing demand for elite protective services in the country.
This move also raises fresh concerns about the prioritisation of police resources in a country already grappling with an acute shortage of personnel.
With fewer than 400,000 active police officers tasked with securing a population exceeding 220 million, Nigeria falls significantly short of the United Nations-recommended police-to-citizen ratio of 1:400.
According to the Nigeria Police Force and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), this puts the country at an estimated ratio of 1:602, further burdened by poor logistics, low morale, and security threats that continue to overwhelm the overstretched force.
In this context, the creation of an elite-focused unit diverts limited manpower and training resources away from broader public safety.
While VIP protection is legitimate, the concentration of resources and specialised training toward a privileged segment further underscores the uneven policing structure across Nigeria.
It is particularly striking that this development comes just months after the IGP himself, on 23 April, 2025, publicly criticised the misuse of officers in the Mobile Police Force (MOPOL), stating that their original mission had been derailed due to inappropriate deployment to VIPs.
At the time, he ordered that MOPOL personnel should no longer be attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs), citing the distortion of the unit’s purpose.
The creation of a new, elite-focused unit now seems to contradict that earlier directive and raises questions about the consistency of police leadership and reform efforts.
If the goal is to reduce VIP dependency on national police units, creating a separate protective force for the elite may simply reinforce the very system the IGP had previously condemned.
Moreover, this development risks widening the trust gap between the police and the public.
With many citizens routinely facing delayed or no response to distress calls, increasing reports of police brutality, and a general feeling of abandonment, this decision reinforces the growing perception among citizens that Nigeria operates a two-tiered security system, one for the privileged and another, largely non-functional one for the rest.
It can further entrench public perception that security in Nigeria is a privilege, not a right.
A 2022 CLEEN Foundation report revealed that 70 percent of Nigerians had little or no trust in the police, largely due to delayed response times, extortion, and human rights abuses.
Additionally, data from SBM Intelligence showed that over 3,600 people were kidnapped in Nigeria between January 2021 and June 2022, many of whom received little to no police intervention.
In regions like the northwest and middle belt, where banditry and communal violence are rampant, police presence is often minimal or completely absent, despite the urgent need for protection.
Instead of allocating limited resources to elite-focused initiatives, Development Diaries calls on the IGP to ensure the NPF invests more in recruitment, grassroots intelligence gathering, and rapid response capabilities that serve all Nigerians.
Also, investing in police welfare and training across all levels and ensuring every citizen has equal access to safety and justice should be priority.
Security planning and implementation must be people-centred, inclusive, and responsive to the realities of everyday Nigerians who face kidnappings, banditry, and violent crimes with minimal state protection.
Photo source: NPF
