Those security personnel who escorted Wike to that place of ignominy failed the most elementary rule of their training: in the face of a provoked atmosphere, your first duty is to tactically shield your principal and get him to safety. Instead, they stood there like zombies—frozen, waiting for the worst to happen.
Highly trained bodyguards would have cordoned off the area, placed their boss in the middle, and walked him away from the needless altercation that could easily have escalated into a deadly skirmish. It was a textbook case of failure in executive protection—a moment where professionalism should have prevailed, but emotion and confusion took charge.
Policing goes beyond blaring sirens, following VIPs, and wearing starched khaki while wielding AK rifles—it is about tact, wit, and intelligence. The essence of security detail is not in intimidation but in anticipation; not in reaction but in proactive control of an environment.
I remember sometime around 2010, when I served as an aide to the late Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin. An incident occurred that deepened my respect for the dexterity of the DSS. The minister’s vehicle had knocked down an okada rider somewhere around Lere in Kaduna State, and in an instant, passersby rushed out in fury, tempers flaring.
Shola Aguda, the Chief Detail to the minister, did the unthinkable. He used the driver as a decoy, making the minister take the driver’s seat. In that heated confusion, the minister slipped out through the driver’s door and melted into the angry crowd. In one swift, decisive moment, the DSS officer had saved his boss’s life—without firing a shot.
When we eventually regrouped at the office, we asked how he managed it. His response was simple yet profound: “My first responsibility is to protect my principal from harm or embarrassment.”
That’s precisely what Wike’s security detail failed to do. They stood morose, watching their boss walk into self-inflicted humiliation. As aides to politically exposed persons (PEPs), there is a limit to how your principal should conduct himself in public—and it’s your duty to ensure he stays within that limit.
This failure is not uniquely Nigerian. Around the world, there have been moments when security details either rose to the occasion or failed spectacularly, changing the course of events.
In 2018, for instance, when U.S. President Donald Trump was suddenly rushed off stage at a Nevada rally after a perceived threat emerged from the crowd, the Secret Service reacted in less than three seconds. They formed a human shield around him, scanning for danger, and only after ensuring his safety did they allow him to return to the podium. That’s elite protection—the kind that values discretion and swift decision-making over bravado.
Contrast that with the 1981 assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The failure wasn’t total, but it exposed how even the most professional units can be caught off guard. The Secret Service agent Jerry Parr, however, redeemed the team’s reputation by pushing Reagan into the car, realizing only later that the President had been hit. His instinct, not hesitation, saved the man’s life.
In Japan, the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also revealed the critical cost of hesitation. The security detail’s delayed response—turning too late to shield him from the homemade gun—became a subject of national outrage. In a society where order and precision are cultural norms, the lapse was unforgivable. It showed that one second of indecision in executive protection could alter history.
Nigeria has seen its own share of tragic miscalculations. The assassination of former Attorney General Bola Ige in 2001 was partly blamed on a breakdown in personal security coordination. The late minister had dismissed his police guards on the evening of his murder—a decision no competent aide should have permitted. Protection is not just about muscle; it’s about foresight and firmness, especially when the principal’s temperament or pride gets in the way.
The role of a security aide goes beyond carrying weapons or walking beside the boss. It demands a mastery of human behavior—reading the room, anticipating trouble, and knowing when to lead your principal away from chaos. A trained protection officer must understand that saving face sometimes means saving life.
Unfortunately, many of today’s aides are “Yes, sir” types—those who never see, let alone correct, their boss’s missteps. They are glorified escorts, not security professionals. Just like the policeman seen on video exchanging words with a naval officer, they fail to grasp the golden rule: you don’t escalate a situation when a politically exposed person is involved—you de-escalate it and ferry your boss first to safety.
In Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s security detail demonstrated this subtle art during an unexpected protest in Manchester earlier this year. As protesters surged toward the Prime Minister’s convoy, one aide swiftly interposed himself, physically turning Sunak away while another opened a secure route through a nearby building. It was done so seamlessly that most onlookers didn’t even notice until after the fact. That’s what it means to protect not just a person, but an institution.
Nigeria’s police and paramilitary details urgently need training in emotional intelligence and situational control. They must learn that brute force or rigid obedience cannot replace discernment. Protecting a VIP is as much about managing the principal’s ego as it is about managing external threats.
If Wike’s aides had understood this, they would have restrained him before the situation deteriorated, keeping him from the cameras, the chaos, and the court of public opinion. Instead, they allowed a momentary lapse of judgment to become a viral national embarrassment.
Security, after all, is not only about guarding life—it’s about guarding reputation.
Frankly musing.
