JUST IN: Parliament Enacts 2025 Security Law, Creates New State Protection Service to Protect President and VIPs

Sierra Leone’s Parliament has passed the National Security and Central Intelligence Bill 2025 into law, marking a significant shift in the country’s security framework and paving the way for the creation of a new State Protection Service (SPS).

The newly established SPS is expected to function in a role similar to that of the United States Secret Service, with a mandate to provide specialized protection to key state officials.

These include the President, Vice President, their immediate families, the Speaker of Parliament, government ministers, Supreme Court judges, as well as former Presidents and Vice Presidents. The service will also extend protection to other designated VIPs as determined by the state.

According to details outlined in the legislation, the law repeals and replaces the National Security and Central Intelligence Act 2023, which previously governed both internal and external security operations in Sierra Leone. The new legal framework is intended to redefine and streamline responsibilities within the country’s security architecture.

The passage of the bill signals Parliament’s move to strengthen national security arrangements while introducing a specialized unit focused solely on the protection of high-ranking officials and critical state figures.

The development, as stated in the official account of the legislation, notably reflects a restructuring of how security functions are organized and delivered at the highest levels of government.