EXCLUSIVE: Inspector-General Egbetokun Flouts Tinubu’s Order, Approves Police Escorts For INEC Commissioners, RECs, Directors
Paperwork acquired by SaharaReporters present that the approval covers all National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), the Acting Director-Frequent of the Coaching Institute (Electoral Institute), and Directors of the Commission nationwide.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police security personnel from VIPs and authorities officials, the Inspector-Frequent of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has licensed the ongoing deployment of law enforcement officials to officials of the Self sustaining National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Paperwork acquired by SaharaReporters present that the approval covers all National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), the Acting Director-Frequent of the Coaching Institute (Electoral Institute), and Directors of the Commission nationwide.
The approval modified into conveyed in a letter dated January 8, 2026, with reference number CB:2032/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.5/Forty five, signed by the Critical Physique of workers Officer to the Inspector-Frequent of Police, CP Lateef Adio Ahmed.
The letter modified into titled: “APPEAL FOR EXEMPTION FROM ORDER TO WITHDRAW POLICE SECURITY PERSONNEL ATTACHED TO VIPs.”
In step with the letter, the IGP granted INEC’s request following the Commission’s charm dated December 11, 2025.
“I in actuality include the honour to lengthen the good and cozy compliments of the Inspector-Frequent of Police and acknowledge receipt of your letter INEC/LEG/DR/283/T/34 dated 11th December 2025 on the above underlined enviornment,” the letter learn.
“I am to assert you that the Inspector-Frequent of Police has graciously licensed the request contained within the letter underneath reference.
“Rep the assurances of the esteemed regards of the Inspector-Frequent of Police, please.”
President Tinubu had earlier directed the Nigeria Police Force to withdraw officers related to VIPs and authorities officials as section of efforts to decrease the misuse of security personnel and pork up policing at the grassroots level.
The directive modified into broadly interpreted as making enlighten of across board, with handiest limited exemptions for constitutionally designated places of work.
However, essentially the most up-to-date approval by the IGP signifies that INEC officials had been formally exempted from the directive.
INEC also confirmed the approval in a observation issued on January 19, 2026, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
In the observation, the Commission acknowledged the redeployment request licensed by the Inspector-Frequent of Police and explained the reason within the assist of its charm.
In step with Dr. Oriaran-Anthony, INEC had written to the IGP on December 11, 2025, appealing for an exemption from the present withdrawing police security personnel related to VIPs.
She famed that the request modified into primarily based mostly on the aloof nature of the Commission’s constitutional obligations, particularly election management, apart from to the historical previous of assaults on electoral officials and INEC providers across the country.
“The Commission had in a letter dated 11th December 2025 appealed to the Inspector Frequent of Police to exempt the Commission from present to withdraw Police security personnel related to VIPs,” the observation talked about.
“The request modified into primarily based mostly on the aloof nature of the Commission’s actions apart from to previous recordsdata of assaults on the officials apart from to Commission’s providers.”
Dr. Oriaran-Anthony further confirmed that the charm modified into a success.
“Consequent upon the above, I am completely chuffed to present an evidence for you that the Inspector Frequent of Police has graciously licensed the request. Receive related a copy of the letter conveying the approval to your data and recordsdata,” she talked about.
“Please settle for the assurances of the Commission’s warm regards persistently.”
On November 27, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Egbetokun talked about that the Nigerian authorities’s most up-to-date directive ordering the withdrawal of police personnel from Very Considerable Individuals (VIPs) modified into a deliberate security map geared in direction of boosting frontline policing and maintaining weak communities nationwide.
Talking all by map of a assembly with senior police commanders in Abuja, Egbetokun had talked about the choice, issued by President Bola Tinubu, modified into designed to redirect manpower to necessary areas the assign public security needs are most pressing.
He had wired that the transfer modified into neither political nor sentimental, however rooted within the core mandate of the Nigeria Police Force to make obvious the safety of electorate and retain public present.
“In preserving with the President’s directive, now we include withdrawn a complete of 11,566 personnel from VIP security. These officers are being redeployed to necessary policing duties instantly,” the IGP talked about.
In step with him, the withdrawal would toughen manpower deployment for township and rural security, population security, intelligence-driven operations, proactive patrols, and posthaste response to emerging threats across states.
Egbetokun had claimed that the implementation route of would be fastidiously managed to prevent impersonation, misinformation, or misuse of the directive by felony teams.
He had added that detailed operational guidelines would be released soon.
“The withdrawal is rarely any longer a retreat from responsibility, however a reclamation of it,” he talked about.
