A member of the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, has said that Nigerians who desire additional security personnel should not be denied access to such protection, insisting that the privilege must not remain exclusive to government officials.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, the Lawmaker representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency said “every single Nigerian is a VIP,” therefore, citizens who want security escorts or guards for their homes, travel, or events should be able to obtain them.
Jimbo anchored his argument on the Constitution, explaining that Section 14(2)(b) places welfare and security at the core of governance, while Section 214 establishes the Nigeria Police Force and Section 217 creates the armed forces, all designed to operationalise that mandate.
He said that in situations where government security resources are insufficient to cover the entire country, the President has the constitutional latitude to engage private security structures to support citizens who are willing to pay for personal protection.
According to him, many Nigerians, especially during the festive period, want to travel to their hometowns with properties and desire security personnel to accompany them.
He added that some citizens are ready to pay, but the federal government currently lacks the manpower.
Jimbo argued that with rising unemployment, the government has an opportunity to recruit able-bodied Nigerians into a special security pool that citizens can legally hire from.
He proposed the recruitment of 15,000 personnel, placed on a ₦150,000 monthly salary, saying Nigerians would subscribe to the service and generate over ₦2.2 billion monthly revenue, which he believes could fund police retraining, welfare, and broader reforms.
He noted that there were no immediate replacements for the security personnel who were withdrawn due to the large insecurity in the country.
“What gave rise to the withdrawal of some of these security personnel from some of us?
“It wasn’t because the country was totally safe, that okay, since the country is totally safe, we don’t need these personnel attached to you, again.”
“It is actually because of insecurity, and now you’ve withdrawn these people, and there is no immediate replacement. “
He urged the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to send an executive bill to the National Assembly to formalise the process, emphasising that no additional appropriation would be needed.
Jimbo concluded that Nigerians who want additional security attached to them should not be denied that responsibility, stressing that the right to personal protection belongs to all citizens, not only those in public office.
VIP Police Escort Withdrawal
His comments follow President Bola Tinubu’s reiteration of his order, on Wednesday, that police officers currently attached to prominent individuals be withdrawn and redeployed to areas ravaged by insecurity.
Addressing concerns raised over the security implications of the withdrawal, Tinubu directed the Minister for Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to work with the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to replace the affected police personnel with NSCDC officers.
“The Minister for Interior should liaise with the IGP and the civil defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties so that you don’t leave people exposed.
“NSA and DSS to provide further information and form themselves into a committee and review the structure,” he stated.
Source: Channels TV
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