Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has alleged widespread payroll fraud and personnel mismanagement in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), warning that the issues compromise national security.

Key points from Sowore’s statement:

• Actual vs. nominal officers: Nigeria reportedly has about 210,000 active officers, but salaries are paid for roughly 350,000, meaning many positions exist only on paper.
• Fraud network: Funds meant for non-existent or absent officers are allegedly funneled through a network of proxies to senior police officials.
• Personnel misallocation: Over 100,000 officers are diverted from public duty to guard VIPs, private homes, schools, farms, shrines, and corporate facilities, leaving most communities under-policed.
• VIP protection imbalance: 11,500 officers (≈5.4%) serve fewer than 10,000 VIPs, leaving ~200 million Nigerians with a disproportionately small protective force.
• Impact on security: Sowore argues that this “privatisation of public security” worsens insecurity while shielding the powerful.

Official response:

• Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun confirmed that, following President Tinubu’s directive, 11,566 personnel were withdrawn from VIP protection and redeployed to frontline policing.
• The IGP emphasized that the move is a strategic, operational decision aimed at boosting community security, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response capabilities.