JUST IN: FG redeploys VIP police escorts to Kwara communities attacked by terrorists

The Federal Government has redeployed police officers previously assigned to VIP escort duties to communities in Kwara state affected by recent terrorist attacks.

In a statement issued on Friday, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said the move forms part of intensified security operations under Operation Savannah Shield.

Idris said the redeployment followed attacks that reportedly claimed the lives of about 75 villagers in parts of the state.

According to him, the Nigeria Police Force carried out a large-scale withdrawal of officers from VIP protection assignments nationwide and reassigned them to core community policing functions.

He said the measure is aimed at strengthening visible security presence in vulnerable communities across Kwara and other north-central states.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier condemned the attacks as “beastly, heartless, and emblematic of a doomed campaign by terrorists who deliberately target soft subjects”.

The president directed that “the full weight of the State be brought against all actors threatening the peace,” the statement added.

Idris said heightened deployments are now underway in at-risk communities, with enhanced security around places of worship and other soft targets.

He added that the federal government remains committed to Nigerian-led counter-terrorism operations, while welcoming intelligence cooperation from international partners where necessary.