The policemen on special protection duty can remain at their duty posts, at least for now.
This is because the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has suspended temporarily his own order withdrawing policemen attached to Very Important Personalities and companies.
The police boss said on Thursday that the order would now take effect from April 20, 2018.
In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, the police boss said the suspension of the withdrawal was to carry out an assessment of the current personnel development and withdraw appropriately.
According to the statement, Idris suspended the order after a meeting with Commanders of Police Mobile Force, Counter – Terrorism and Special Protection Units on Tuesday.
“The withdrawal will now take effect from April 20 , this is to enable the Force to carry out a thorough assessment of the current deployment and carry out appropriate withdrawal.
“Meanwhile , the IG has directed the Deputy Inspector -General of Police , Operations , to direct all the Commissioners of Police and their supervising Assistant Inspectors – General of Police in the states and zonal commands to halt the withdrawal, revise and return those already withdrawn to their duty posts pending the new date of April 20, 2018,” the statement read in part.
It further read that Task Force Teams set up by the police boss at the Force Headquarters, the Force X – Squad and others set up by the AIGs and CPs, had equally been directed by Idris to suspend the enforcement of the withdrawal with immediate effect pending the new date.
“Members of the public , political and political office holders , including VIPs and other categories of enterprises and corporate individuals and other entities are to retain the police officers currently with them on deployment,” the statement added.
Stating that those currently enjoying police protection might still get police protection after the expiration of the suspension, the IG urged them to apply for a revalidation through the CPs in their states of residence before April 20.