More than 100,000 officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) are currently deployed to protect politicians and other very important persons (VIPs), according to a new report.
The report, published in November 2025 by the European Union Agency for Asylum, estimated the NPF’s strength at about 371,800 officers serving a population of roughly 236.7 million people. It said the country’s policing deficits are worsened by the diversion of a significant share of available personnel to VIP protection rather than community policing and crime prevention.
“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 report said. “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.”
The EU agency said manpower shortages, corruption, and limited resources have led to slow emergency response times and left many communities without adequate police presence.
“This shortage in manpower, as well as corruption and insufficient resources, has resulted in delayed responses to crimes and numerous communities being left without protection,” it stated.
The report also highlighted weak accountability mechanisms that enable police misconduct, including arbitrary arrests, extortion, and excessive use of force.
“With reliable accountability mechanisms lacking, there were reports of police officers engaging in misconduct, including arbitrary arrests, extortion of money and excessive use of violence,” the report added.
The deployment of police officers to politicians and private individuals has been a long-standing issue.
In June 2023, shortly after assuming office, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun ordered the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force operatives from VIP duties, saying the tactical unit would be reserved strictly for strategic national operations. He issued a similar directive in April 2025, calling for a nationwide withdrawal of mobile police officers attached to VIPs.
Despite these directives, the EU report indicates that a large portion of police manpower continues to be assigned to elite protection.