SOWORE DECRIES 'SECURITY FRAMEWORK DESIGNED FOR POWER': ALLEGES OVER 18,000 POLICE OFFICERS DIVERTED TO VIP PROTECTION.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has launched a scathing critique against the current architecture of the Nigeria Police Force, alleging a massive and systemic diversion of personnel to the protection of the political elite at the expense of public safety.

In a recent statement, the #RevolutionNow convener highlighted the stark disparity in police deployment across the country. Sowore alleged that no fewer than 200 police officers are attached to the security detail of a single state governor in Nigeria.

Breaking down the figures, he noted that when this allocation is extrapolated across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), approximately 7,000 officers are assigned solely to the protection of governors.

Furthermore, Sowore drew attention to an additional 11,000 officers whom he claimed were officially admitted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as being deployed for "VIP guard" duties. He described the IGP's tenure as "illegal," continuing his long-standing challenge against the police leadership's legitimacy.

"When this is added to the 11,000 officers officially admitted by the illegal IGP as VIP guards, the scale of the diversion becomes clearer," Sowore stated.

A Collapse of Public Policing

The activist argued that this prioritisation of the political class is the direct cause of the security vacuum currently plaguing the nation. He posited that while thousands of armed officers shield the elite, local communities are left vulnerable and undefended, leading to the collapse of public policing nationwide.

Sowore attributed the rising wave of insurgency and the ability of terror groups to overrun parts of the country to this lopsided security arrangement.

"It is a security framework designed to protect power, not the people," he concluded, calling for a fundamental overhaul of the system.

This critique raises pertinent legal and constitutional questions regarding the statutory duties of the Nigeria Police Force. Under the Police Act, the primary duty of the force is the preservation of law and order and the protection of life and property of the general citizenry, rather than the exclusive preservation of VIPs.

As insecurity remains a pivotal issue in Nigerian legal and political discourse, these figures—if accurate—suggest a significant deviation from the constitutional mandate of the police force.