Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Following the state of insecurity within the nation, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has reaffirmed the ban on unauthorised use of army camouflage, saying that it was solely the army and the Nigeria Police, whereas on Joint operation, have been allowed by regulation to make use of the army camouflage.
The minister’s place adopted rampant instances of criminals disguised as army and paramilitary personnel utilizing army camouflage to commit crimes.
“The current scenario doesn’t assist the usage of army camouflage by people who find themselves not authorised or not personnel of DHQ’” he mentioned.
He acknowledged that “the criminals amongst us have needed to make the most of the army, police and different safety businesses’ gears to perpetrate crimes”.
The minister emphasised that there was the necessity to streamline the personnel which are authorised to make use of the army camouflage.
He mentioned authorities’s ban on different paramilitary businesses from the usage of the army camouflage was to convey sanity to the system and likewise as a manner of checkmating legal actions.
Matawalle assured of the readiness of the Nigeria Armed Forces to implement the directive given by the Nationwide Safety Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, relating to the fast cessation of the usage of camouflage uniforms by paramilitary businesses.
“The round titled Commentary on Proliferation within the Use of Camouflage Uniforms by Different Safety Companies in Nigeria,” personally signed by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, mandated personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, the Nigeria Safety and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Federal Hearth Service, amongst others, to discontinue the usage of camouflage uniforms henceforth, following the directive issued by ONSA.”
Accordingly, the minister acknowledged that the usage of camouflage uniform by varied safety businesses apart from the Armed Forces particularly, the Military, Navy and the Air Power stay banned.
He, nevertheless, gave exception to the use by the Nigerian Police which he mentioned they will solely use it when on joint operation with the army.
He mentioned the enforcement of the ban turns into crucial in view of the safety implications and considerations raised on the clamour of duplicity and proliferation within the nation.
He identified the significance of this warning saying that “the measure is aimed toward checkmating crime fee in Nigeria, including that if we establish these which are authorised to make use of the camouflage, we will rapidly differentiate them from criminals that intend to confuse us,” he mentioned.
Matawalle mentioned that henceforth extant legal guidelines guiding the usage of camouflage uniform in Nigeria would strictly be enforced, a press release by the Ministry of Defence, mentioned.
