Senators Protest Selective Withdrawal Of Police Orderlies.

Senators have raised strong objections to what they described as the selective enforcement of President Bola Tinubu’s directive withdrawing police orderlies attached to Very Important Personalities, VIPs. They warned that members of the National Assembly should not be turned into scapegoats.

The issue was brought up during plenary after Senator Abdul Ningi of the PDP, representing Bauchi Central, raised a point of order, revealing that his only police orderly was withdrawn early on Wednesday, while many other categories of VIPs continue to enjoy full police protection.

The directive, issued by President Tinubu and implemented by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, mandates the withdrawal of around 11,000 police personnel attached to VIPs nationwide. The move aims to strengthen security across the country, deploy officers to core policing duties, and address manpower shortages in communities.

Senator Ningi criticised the uneven enforcement of the directive, insisting that fairness demands the policy be applied equally.

He said: “It should be applied across the board. From the office of the President, to the Vice President, to the Senate President, to the Speaker, to Ministers. After they withdrew my only orderly, I still see ministers’ convoys with heavy security. I have seen business organisations, including Chinese firms, with orderlies. I have seen children of public office holders, and even singers, with police protection.”

He added that although he could look after himself, it was unfair to single out senators. He urged the Senate President to direct the Committee on Police Affairs to investigate what he called a clearly selective implementation of the President’s order.

“The National Assembly should not be used as a scapegoat,” he said.

Responding, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin of the APC, representing Kano North, who presided over proceedings, explained that the Senate leadership had already discussed the matter in detail and was currently engaging with the Presidency to secure an exemption for lawmakers.

He assured senators affected by the withdrawal that efforts were underway to restore their police orderlies, stressing that such protection is in line with global parliamentary practice.

“We have taken this issue seriously. At the leadership level, we agreed that the necessary steps should be taken to restore your police orderly. I am confident we have a listening President who will revisit that directive, even though it was issued with good intentions,” he said.

The Senate’s intervention comes at a time when national debate is intensifying over the balance between protecting VIPs and boosting police presence in communities across the country.