Abuja, Nigeria – December 3, 2025 – Dele Momodu, the prominent publisher of Ovation magazine and a key opposition figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused President Bola Tinubu of using the recent withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs as a deliberate political weapon aimed specifically at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his verified X account on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Momodu declared that he “immediately smelled a rat” the moment the policy was announced. He alleged that presidential aides first circulated a “dummy list” of affected individuals—including unlikely names such as Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and former First Lady Aisha Buhari alongside Atiku Abubakar—in order to test public reaction and create plausible deniability.
According to Momodu, the real target has always been Atiku, who, as a former Vice President, is constitutionally entitled to lifelong state-provided security. He claimed his prediction that the circulated list would be quickly disowned as “fake” within 24 hours came to pass, and he attributed his foresight to his “deep knowledge of Tinubu’s antics, mindset, and modus operandi.”
The media entrepreneur condemned the policy in the strongest terms, describing it as “dangerous,” “gravely unprecedented,” and “preposterously myopic.” He warned that stripping security details from prominent Nigerians in a country plagued by rampant kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism would only escalate the nation’s insecurity crisis and drive away investment.
“No nation can afford to voluntarily expose its private and productive sectors to bandits and kidnappers,” Momodu wrote. He argued that instead of abruptly withdrawing escorts, the government should have seized the moment to create a sustainable model in which wealthy individuals could voluntarily fund the recruitment and training of additional police personnel, thereby expanding the force while maintaining necessary protection for high-profile citizens.
Momodu further alleged that President Tinubu is deliberately “setting up the poor against accomplished Nigerians who deserve maximum security” and using state institutions to silence opposition voices ahead of future elections. He accused the administration of turning every policy into a political tool, warning that the country is being led “to Golgotha” under the current leadership.
The controversy began last week when the Nigeria Police Force announced a nationwide recall of officers attached to VIPs who do not enjoy statutory protection. Authorities described the move as a long-overdue reform to redeploy thousands of personnel to frontline duties and address the acute manpower shortage affecting ordinary citizens. However, the initial circulation of an unofficial list featuring politically sensitive names immediately sparked suspicions of targeted political victimization.
Within hours, the police disclaimed the list and reassured the public that former presidents, vice presidents, governors, and other constitutionally protected persons would retain their security details. Despite the clarification, Momodu and several opposition voices maintain that the entire episode was a calculated probe to gauge how far the government could go in withdrawing protection from perceived political adversaries, particularly Atiku Abubakar—who remains one of Tinubu’s most vocal and formidable critics.
Supporters of the president have dismissed Momodu’s claims as partisan exaggeration, insisting the policy is a genuine effort to end decades of abuse of police resources by the elite. Critics of the policy, however, argue that its abrupt and opaque rollout betrays ulterior motives and risks creating a chilling effect on political participation in an already tense environment.
As Nigeria grapples with soaring inflation, currency devaluation, and widespread insecurity, the clash over police escorts has evolved into yet another flashpoint in the deepening rivalry between the Tinubu administration and opposition heavyweights. With off-cycle governorship elections scheduled for 2026 and the 2027 presidential contest already looming on the horizon, many observers fear that security arrangements for political figures will remain a bitterly contested issue in the months ahead.
Momodu concluded his statement with a stark warning: “Their next move is to ensure that the Atikus who can provide robust opposition to his ambition of maximum rulership must be denied security. Who will dare go out to campaign against him in this season of anomie?”
Whether the escort withdrawal policy ultimately strengthens public security or merely fuels political paranoia, it has undeniably intensified the already charged atmosphere in Africa’s most populous nation.
