Posted by The Nigeria Police Force is alarmed by the country’s citizens, notably movie and skit creators, who often and illegally obtain and use police uniforms and accouterments.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force’s public relations officer, stated this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He said that the unlawful sale of police equipment and accessories by merchants in shops and open markets that are not authorized nor recognized by authorities was a concern for the police.
Adejobi claims that the Inspector General of Police has also expressed disapproval of the “demeaning manner” in which film and comedy producers depict the police institution in their works.
He claimed that notwithstanding the criminalization of unauthorized usage with accompanying required sanctions in Section 251 of the Criminal Code and Section 133 of the Penal Code, such individuals have continued to wear police uniforms.
“Therefore, the IGP charged all commands and formations, the IGP Monitoring Unit, Provost marshals, and X-Squad to arrest and immediately prosecute, in accordance with the law, all individuals or groups engaged in the illegal sales of police uniforms and accouterments within their jurisdictions, while film or skit makers who portray the Nigeria Police Force officers in a negative light, without applying for and being duly issued a permit letter for such portrayals to
The Force Public Relations Officer has been tasked with ensuring prompt approval for all applications for approvals of usage of police items in movies, in tandem with the extant laws and which will portray good values, leave a favorable impression on the Nigerian public, add value to our system, and give police officers cutting-edge innovations to actively carry out their duties. “The IGP further reiterates the commitment of the force to ensuring compliance with the law,” says the IGP.
“The Inspector-General of Police strongly believes that such sanity in filmmaking, regulation of sales, possession, and use of police uniforms and accouterments will definitely impact positively on reviving moral values and correcting false perceptions and ideologies towards committing crimes in our society.”
Adejobi claimed that the action by the force will eventually result in a decrease in the number of crimes that are brought on by police impersonators as well as the proliferation of police kits, uniforms, and accessories.