The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has formally requested presidential approval to recruit about 30,000 additional personnel to address mounting pressure on the agency particularly its expanded role in protecting Very Important Persons (VIPs) nationwide.
The request follows a government policy shift that has redirected VIP protection duties away from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) toward the NSCDC. Last November, President Bola Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers assigned to VIP protection, directing them back to core policing duties to bolster community security across the country.
Why the Move?
Officials within the NSCDC say that the surge in requests for VIP escorts has exposed a manpower shortfall in the corps — even as demand rises at a time when police reserves have been redeployed to frontline security tasks.
A senior security source indicated that the president has assured NSCDC leadership that the request will be favourably considered, signalling possible large-scale recruitment to strengthen the corps’ capacity.
Wider Government Security Strategy
The VIP protection reassignment is part of broader security reforms underway in Nigeria:
The president’s directive to withdraw police from VIP duties has drawn mixed reactions, with some critics warning it could hamper security for officials, while others argue it helps refocus limited police resources on combating crime and insecurity in communities.
Related government reports suggest significant recruitment drives across security agencies, including plans to bolster overall manpower to tackle rising insecurity.
What This Could Mean
If approved, the recruitment would be one of the largest personnel expansions for the NSCDC in recent years and could reshape how Nigeria manages VIP protection shifting the responsibility away from traditional police escorts toward civil defence officers trained for this role.
This development highlights the challenge of balancing high-profile security demands with frontline policing needs at a time of heightened security threats across parts of Nigeria.
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