Officers conducting stop-and-search operations are required by the Nigeria Police Force to wear uniforms with their identities prominently displayed.
In response to a video that showed four police officers stopping a driver in a mufti on the Lekki-Epe Express Way, Force Police Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi made this statement in a post on his X handle on Monday.
When the officers went up to get his tinted permit, he asked for their identities because he didn’t see anything that would suggest they were police officials.
In response, Adejobi stated that the police officers “have been traced to Zone 2 and identified,” and that “the PPRO Zone 2 will speak to it as soon as possible, while the AIG Zone 2 Lagos is investigating.”
Adejobi went on to say that the NPF has mandated that any police officer conducting a routine patrol or stop-and-search be clearly identifiable, in uniform, and appropriately attired.
He insisted that wearing a mufti while on patrol is not ideal since it causes police officers to misbehave because they are aware of their identity being concealed.
As you may remember, we have declared and issued orders requiring any police officer conducting a routine patrol or stop and search to be appropriately attired, conspicuously visible, and in uniform. Stop and search procedures are not suitable when done in mufti.
The knowing that your identity is unknown and concealed gives you the confidence to act impolitely or in an unprofessional manner. I still stress that officers must be in uniform when conducting routine patrols and stop-and-search operations. According to Adejobi, that is the police standard.
He continued, saying that officers wearing muftis are expected to be on surveillance or operating covertly rather than being spotted brandishing rifles or long-range weapons.
“To bring sanity and standardization, our DPOs and HODs should emphasize and enforce this.”