A former governorship candidate in Kano State has publicly identified a police officer who appears to be flouting a direct order from President Bola Tinubu regarding security details for Very Important Persons (VIPs).
Defiance Captured in Condolence Visit Photo
The controversy erupted after the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, shared photographs from a condolence visit. In the images, posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, a man identified as a police orderly was seen positioned closely behind the senator. Although the officer was dressed in civilian clothes (mufti), his role and presence were unmistakable to the keen observer.
Salihu Tanko-Yakasai's Public Call-Out
Former governorship aspirant Salihu Tanko-Yakasai swiftly took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to highlight the apparent breach. He explicitly called out the police officer for continuing his duties as an orderly to Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. Tanko-Yakasai framed his action as a civic effort to assist the police force in enforcing President Tinubu's directive, which mandates the withdrawal of all police orderlies from VIPs across the nation.
His intervention underscores a growing public scrutiny over the implementation of the presidential order, which aims to redeploy police personnel from personal guard duties to core security functions within communities.
Implications for Security Policy Enforcement
This incident raises significant questions about compliance and enforcement at the highest levels of government. The public identification of the orderly by a political figure like Tanko-Yakasai puts direct pressure on both the Nigeria Police Force and the office of the Deputy Senate President to clarify the situation.
Key questions now emerge:
- Is the officer officially assigned, or acting in a personal capacity?
- What disciplinary steps, if any, will the police hierarchy take?
- Does this indicate a wider pattern of non-compliance with the presidential directive?
The event, centered on a photograph from March 12, 2025, has transformed into a public test case for the government's political will to see through its own security reforms. It highlights the challenge of changing long-entrenched protocols of privilege and protection within Nigeria's political elite.
