Manpower Crisis Hits NSCDC as Agency Prepares to Assume VIP Protection Duties from Police
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is racing against time to fill a severe personnel shortage as it gears up toabsorbthousands of VIP protection duties following the sudden withdrawal of 11,566 police officers from escort and guard services nationwide.
Senior NSCDC sources told The PUNCH that while the Corps has a well-trained VIP Protection Unit, the scale of the new responsibility has exposed a critical manpower gap that could delay full rollout.
“We are urgently reviewing our structure and drafting a policy document toguidethe takeover,” one senior officer disclosed. “Yes, we have a specialised VIP wing that has undergone rigorous training and retraining, but the volume of requests we are now getting far exceeds our current capacity.”
Another officer familiar with internal deployments admitted:
“With just over 63,000 personnel nationwide, we are stretched thin protecting critical nationalassetsand infrastructure. Adding thousands of VIPs to that mandate without a corresponding increase in trained manpower will be extremely challenging.”
The pressure on NSCDC intensified after President Bola Tinubu approved the immediate recall of police personnel attached to VIPs and corporate entities – a decision announced last Thursday by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
Egbetokun stressed that the move is purely operational, not political or punitive, and isaimedat redeploying officers to communities battered by rising kidnappings, banditry, and terrorism, particularly in Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, and other hotspot states.
He also warned of the risk of criminals impersonating security operatives during the transition and directed strict supervision of the handover process.
Private security operators seize the moment
The sudden vacuum has reignited demands for urgent reform of Nigeria’s private securityindustry. The Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) says the police withdrawal underscores the obsolescence of the 38-year-old Private Guard Companies Act.
Speaking on Thursday, ALPSPN Interim Chairman Maj. Gen. Elvis Njoku (retd.) declared:
“This is the perfect opportunity to modernise the law. We need provisions for data protection, environmental security, and contemporary threats. An updated legal framework will allow the private sector to legally and professionally fill the gap left by the police.”
As the NSCDC scrambles to train and redeploy personnel, many VIPs and corporate organisations now face an anxious wait to see whether the Corps can deliver seamless coverage – or whether the country will see a surge in demand for licensed private protection firms in the coming weeks.