A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, on Wednesday said bandits have issued threats to abduct members of the National Assembly, warning that recent security directives could further expose public officials.
Wase made the disclosure during the resumed debate on national security in the House, where he urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider his order withdrawing police operatives attached to Very Important Personalities (VIPs).
President Tinubu had on Sunday directed the withdrawal of police officers from VIP escorts during a security meeting in Abuja attended by Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services. Under the directive, the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force instructed all officers attached to VIPs and special beats across the country to return to their bases, with the President insisting they be redeployed to core policing duties.
Under the new arrangement, VIPs requiring armed security must now request such protection from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) rather than from the police. The Presidency maintained that the measure is aimed at boosting police presence in communities—particularly underserved rural areas where stations are understaffed and residents remain vulnerable to attacks.
But Wase insisted that the Commander-in-Chief must clearly define how VIPs will be categorised under the new security framework. He recalled a period when Boko Haram members were discovered on recruitment lists for the Army and Police, arguing that a transparent classification system is necessary to prevent infiltration and ensure adequate protection where needed.
The debate in the House comes amid worsening abductions across the country. More than 1,500 schoolchildren have been kidnapped since 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls in Chibok.
The crisis intensified last week when armed men abducted at least 300 children and staff from St Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Niger State. The Christian Association of Nigeria said more than 250 victims remain missing. The attack—Nigeria’s third school abduction in one week—prompted President Tinubu to cancel his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to coordinate the national response.
In a separate incident, 24 schoolgirls kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi State on 17 November were recently released. The attack left two staff members dead and 25 girls abducted, although one escaped shortly after the assault.
While President Tinubu commended security forces for their “swift response”, the circumstances of the girls’ release remain unclear.
Nigeria continues to face a surge in mass kidnappings, with more than 250 children abducted from another Catholic school last Friday still unaccounted for.
