The Nigerian Senate has initiated an investigation into what it called the unfair and inconsistent enforcement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for the withdrawal of police personnel from VIPs.

Rising under Order 9, Senator Abdul Ningi expressed concern that police orderlies had been withdrawn from lawmakers, while businesspeople, celebrities, influencers, and even their children continued to retain armed escorts.

The senator’s intervention exposed glaring disparities in the implementation of the directive, prompting swift action from Senate leadership.

The Bauchi Central lawmaker cited the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, relevant statutes, parliamentary precedent, and long-standing practice to argue that the matter demanded immediate attention. He noted that where standing orders are inadequate, the Senate is empowered to regulate its conduct.

This is coming barely 48 hours after Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka sharply criticised the large number of armed security personnel accompanying Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His comments came on Tuesday while presenting an honorary award to renowned poet and activist Odia Ofeimun, who was honoured by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Soyinka mocked the lavish security detail, noting that he personally counted at least 15 heavily armed personnel accompanying Seyi Tinubu at a hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos.

In a sardonic remark, Soyinka suggested that rather than deploying Nigerian soldiers and Air Force officials to the Republic of Benin to foil a coup on Sunday, the government could have sent Seyi Tinubu with his personal security team to handle the operation.

He had expressed his astonishment at the situation by reaching out to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to lodge his concerns.

Ningi a veteran legislator in the National Assembly since 1999, revealed that he had only ever been assigned one police orderly and had never requested additional security personnel. He recounted the shock he experienced upon learning that his lone orderly, along with those of other senators, had been withdrawn.

“I have no personal problem with the withdrawal,” Senator Ningi told the chamber, “but this policy must apply across the board. Let’s see what happens from the office of the President to the Vice President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, ministers, and beyond.”

He observed that while senators were stripped of security details, ministers moved in convoys with multiple police personnel, business interests—including foreign companies—retained armed protection, and entertainers, as well as children and relatives of political officeholders, continued to enjoy complimentary security coverage.

“This is unheard of in any democracy,” Senator Ningi stressed. “A Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has served for decades, cannot be left vulnerable while non-state actors enjoy state security.”

While emphasizing that he could personally manage without the orderly, he argued that fairness and institutional respect were at stake. He called on the President of the Senate to direct the Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, to investigate why individuals outside the scope of the presidential directive continued to enjoy police protection.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, acknowledged the seriousness of the matter, thanking Senator Ningi for formally raising it. He revealed that the Senate leadership had already convened a meeting the previous day to discuss the withdrawal of police orderlies and that steps were being taken to resolve the situation.

Senator Barau admitted that the presidential directive had been flouted, particularly where ministers, businesspeople, entertainers, and others continued to enjoy police protection. He directed the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation and report back to the chamber.

He emphasized that President Tinubu’s directive was issued in good faith to strengthen the Nigeria Police Force’s capacity to address internal security challenges. Nonetheless, he assured senators that the concerns raised would be addressed, noting that restoring police orderlies to lawmakers aligns with international parliamentary standards.

Senator Barau expressed confidence that the President would consider exempting members of the National Assembly from the directive.