Journalist, publisher and former People’s Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police escorts from VIPs to bolster the fight against insecurity, alleging that the move is a political ploy designed to weaken opposition figures and fuel resentment against successful Nigerians.
In a strongly worded commentary titled Why Are Nigerians So Easily Fooled?, Momodu said the list of supposed affected VIPs that circulated online—including former First Lady Aisha Buhari, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar—was a deliberate “test balloon” pushed out by government-aligned actors to gauge public reaction.
The list was later disowned as fake.
Momodu argued that Atiku, who is constitutionally entitled to security protection as a former vice president, was a primary target and that the Tinubu administration intended to use the escort controversy to turn the public against wealthy or politically influential citizens.
“I instantly smelled a rat,” Momodu wrote, arguing that the inclusion of certain names was intended to provoke public outrage. “They deliberately included most unlikely names… It became clear to me that Atiku was one of their main targets.”
The list was later disowned as fake, a development Momodu said he had “predicted correctly within 24 hours.”
He accused the administration of manipulating public emotions against successful Nigerians who legally hire police protection, warning that such tactics were unprecedented and dangerous.
According to him, “Tinubu is willing and ready to set fire to an entire village in order to catch a few rodents. His motives are not pure.”
Momodu argued that if the president is genuinely interested in reforming VIP protection, he would use the opportunity to expand police recruitment funded by willing private-sector beneficiaries.
“No nation can afford to voluntarily expose its private and productive sectors to bandits and kidnappers,” he said. “It is preposterously myopic and visionless.”
The publisher warned that the purported escort withdrawal could leave opposition figures vulnerable while political allies retain security “through the backdoor.”
He alleged that the strategy was part of a broader political agenda to weaken the most vocal challengers to Tinubu.
“Their next move is to ensure that the Atikus who can provide robust opposition… must be denied of security,” Momodu claimed.
He concluded with a stark warning about the country’s direction:
“Tinubu is leading Nigeria to Golgotha.”
