Police probe Blord over armed officers’ escort

The Nigeria Police Force has launched an investigation into a viral video showing armed police officers escorting businessman Linus Williams, popularly known as Blord, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, described the deployment of the officers as “unlawful and illegal”, saying an investigation had commenced into the incident.

Iniedu disclosed this in a statement posted on his official X account on Wednesday while reacting to the video. “Unlawful and illegal. Investigation has commenced into this incident please. We say #notoimpunity,” he wrote. The video, which Blord shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, showed him arriving at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, accompanied by armed police officers dressed in camouflage uniforms and tactical gear.

The businessman was seen wearing a red-and-white striped traditional cap associated with the Kwankwaso political brand. He was also seen arriving in a black Cadillac with the personalised number plate, “B-LORD”. Other scenes in the footage showed Blord walking alongside the armed officers at the airport and at other locations, including what appeared to be his business premises.

The officers were seen providing him with an escort and opening the vehicle door for him. Captioning the video, Blord wrote: “Back to base, business as usual. From the airport to a brief stop at BlordGroup Enugu branch, then back to Awka. Every move has its purpose, and the vision never takes a break. Blord is home!” In another Instagram post, the businessman said he had been in Sabon Gari, Kano State, where he met his “brothers” before returning to Enugu.

The development comes months after President Bola Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country and their redeployment to core policing duties. Tinubu gave the directive at a security meeting with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services in Abuja on November 23, 2025.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs requiring protection would henceforth be assigned armed operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of police officers. The President said the measure was aimed at strengthening police presence in communities, particularly those facing security challenges.

On December 6, 2025, the police also deployed a Special Enforcement Team to monitor compliance with the directive, beginning with an operation in Lagos. The then Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the exercise recorded no cases of unauthorised deployment of police escorts.