IGP: Henceforth, officers on patrol must wear approved uniforms — not T-shirts

Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police (IGP), has ordered that every officer on patrol duty must wear the approved police uniform.

In a statement on Friday, Muyiwa Adejobi, the acting police spokesperson, said Baba expressed dismay at the “flagrant violation of the approved Nigeria Police Force dress code” by officers on routine operations.

According to the IGP, wearing of T-shirts and face caps with inscriptions such as ‘Special Forces’, ‘Commando’, ‘Gallant MOPOL’, ‘SCORPION’ while on routine operations are henceforth banned.

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

“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.”

Over the past years, there have been reports of citizens accusing police officers in mufti of extortion and other human rights violations.

In 2019, the house of representatives asked police officers to desist from wearing mufti, especially when on patrol on highways.