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The Digest:

Lawmakers led by Senator Abdul Ningi have raised strong objections to the selective enforcement of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police orderlies from VIPs. The senators argue that while their personal security has been stripped, other high-profile individuals and private entities continue to enjoy police protection, putting legislators at risk.

Key Points:
  • Senator Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) revealed his only police orderly was withdrawn early Wednesday, while he observed ministers, business figures, and family members of officials still with security convoys.
  • He demanded the withdrawal be applied “across the board,” from the President and Vice President down to ministers and business tycoons, to ensure fairness.
  • Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin assured the chamber that leadership is lobbying the presidency to exempt National Assembly members, calling the president “a listening leader.”
  • Senators Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North) and Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) warned that the policy is “ill-timed” and exposes them as “high-value targets” for kidnappers and terrorists.
  • The lawmakers argued that, given Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, removing their protection is tantamount to leaving them vulnerable to targeted attacks.
  • The protest highlights a significant rift between policy declaration and uniform implementation, raising questions about equity and priority in national security measures.
  • The Senate has called for its Police Affairs Committee to investigate what they term the “selective” enforcement of the presidential directive.
The outcry in the chamber lays bare a hierarchy of fear, where the removal of a single orderly becomes a symbol of perceived inequity, and safety is contested not as a public good, but as a privilege to be negotiated.

Sources: Daily Post