The Nigeria Police has said that its operatives on patrol duties must be fully kitted in the approved uniform.
The Force spokesperson, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a series of tweets on Sunday said officers on patrol are not allowed to wear any clothes other than the approved uniform.
CSP Adejobu was reacting to a tweet by one Ayo-Bankole Akintujoye.
Mr. Akintujoye had tweeted about seeing some officers dressed like the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on the Lekki-Epe expressway in Lagos.
“Is SARS back on Lagos roads? Or why are skinny jeans, armed robber looking, gun blazing unmarked men standing on the highway along Lekki-Epe express?” he had tweeted.
Responding, CSP Adejobi asked the Lagos State Police Command Spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, to look into the matter.
“Ben should take this up. We don’t allow or encourage our men on patrol to dress like this. This is not allowed,” he wrote.
“Any policeman on patrol and stop and search should be in complete uniform. That is the authority to flag down and/or park any vehicle.”
He bemoaned the attitude of some officers who detest wearing the uniform, adding that they “will need to intensify our efforts in standardizing the police.”
“I don’t know why many of them don’t like putting on uniforms. I can wear my uniform to any gathering or a party if permitted to know how much I value the uniform,” he said.
“No tactical team is permitted to mount a point and be doing stop and search but to work on intelligence and burst any criminal’s den.”
