The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has affirmed that the presidential directive on withdrawing police officers from Very Important Personalities (VIPs) is aimed at addressing escalating insecurity, but clarified that judges are fully exempted from the policy.
In a statement through her media aide, Tobi Soniyi, the CJN emphasised that the directive does not apply to judicial officers. Soniyi noted he was unaware of any withdrawals affecting judges and pointed out that no other chief judges had raised similar complaints.
The clarification follows concerns raised by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, who on Tuesday alleged that police orderlies attached to judges in the state were withdrawn on December 8 without notice, despite an earlier exemption for judges and governors due to the sensitive nature of their duties.
Justice Agya warned that the move posed severe risks to judges’ personal safety, particularly those handling high-profile criminal, political, terrorism, and corruption cases. He further argued that it could undermine judicial independence by exposing courtrooms to intimidation and disruption.
In response, Taraba State Commissioner of Police, Betty Isokpan, denied that court orderlies had been withdrawn. She explained that the policy targeted only personal escorts accompanying VIPs on travels, not officers assigned to court duties during proceedings or those stationed at judges’ residences.
“Every court is expected to have a court duty police officer who stays during proceedings. We have only withdrawn police escorts who accompany VIPs to places like Sokoto, Lagos, and Kaduna, in compliance with the Inspector General’s directives,” Isokpan stated.
The presidential directive, issued in November 2025, seeks to redeploy thousands of police officers from VIP protection to core security duties amid widespread insecurity. Judges remain legally entitled to police protection, with alternatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps available for affected VIPs where necessary.
