An investigation has shown that each of the state governors in Nigeria is protected by 221 policemen, making a total of 7,956 for all the 36 state governors.
An investigation by Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust also found that at least 5 policemen are attached to each of the 36 ministers in the country, totalling 180.
Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants to the President also have at least a police detail, with some having more than one.
According to the result of the investigation, Senate President Bukola Saraki was said to have 67 policemen attached to his office while his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu has 80. Each of the remaining 107 senators also has at least one security detail.
Speaker Dogara has about 30, his Deputy has at least two and the remaining 358 Reps have at least one each.
State legislators, commissioners, heads of state agencies all have police security detail too.
The members of the judiciary at the federal and state levels, and heads of federal government agencies all have police protection.
The same applies to at least 100 first-class traditional rulers across the country, and other second- and third-class traditional rulers.
“The heads of the 480 federal agencies, commissions, parastatals and inter-ministerial committees have between one to five police personnel attached to them. They comprise of group managing directors, managing directors, directors general, executive secretaries, executive chairmen, chief executive officers, chief medical directors, executive vice presidents, among others,” the report stated.
These form the bulk of tens of thousands of policemen attached to individuals, many of them illegally, according to the report.
This is coming at a time the Nigeria Police Force currently has 300,000 securing a population of 182 million, falling way below the United Nations standard 1:400 policeman-population ratio.