Officers on patrol must wear approved uniforms and not T-shirts – IGP

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba has expressed concern over police officers not wearing the right uniform while on patrol.

The IGP who has now ordered that every officer on patrol duty must wear the approved police uniform, has also banned the wearing of T-shirts and face caps with inscriptions such as ‘Special Forces’, ‘Commando’, ‘Gallant MOPOL’, ‘SCORPION’ while on routine operations.

The new directive was conveyed in a statement released by acting police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.

The statement reads;

“Premised on this, the IGP has ordered an immediate ban on such unapproved apparel.

“The IGP has described as unacceptable, the use of unapproved apparels, noting that uniforms, which is a means of identification, has been abused by these officers who engage in improper dressing.

“He equally decries the fear this unwholesome practice creates in the minds of innocent Nigerians. The IGP, therefore, ordered that henceforth, all police officers detailed for patrol, stop and search, checkpoint, and other routine operational duties must be in approved uniforms for easy identification.

“Consequently, the IGP has ordered that all Police disciplinary units, particularly the Force Provost Marshal, the IGP X-Squad, and Monitoring Unit to ensure the strict enforcement of the directive with severe sanctions for erring officers.

“The IGP has equally warned that all supervisory officers would be held vicariously liable in the event that personnel under their command violate this order.”