No More SARS Jacket and Mufti for Police officers in Lagos - Police Commissioner of Lagos
According to a report by The Guardian, the Commissioner of Police, 
Lagos State command, Edgal Imohimi, yesterday gave a stern warning to 
policemen attached to divisions in the state to desist from wearing 
mufti bearing ‘SARS’ (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) while carrying out 
official duties. He threatened to sanction any policeman who violates 
the directive.
To march his words with action, Edgal said the two policemen, who 
allegedly assaulted a lawyer last week in Ikoyi area of Lagos, would be 
demoted in ranks, for wearing plain clothes to effect the arrest of the 
legal practitioner.
Egdal gave the warning at the third Stakeholders Security Meeting 
on Community Policing organised by the Area ‘D’ Command, Mushin, with 
the theme ‘Policing the community by the community’. He, however, said 
only certain policemen would be allowed to wear jackets with the 
inscriptions of their units on them.
According to him: “Henceforth, no policeman should carry out 
operational duties in Lagos in mufti without police uniform. The only 
units allowed to wear jackets with the inscription of his unit on it are
 Anti-Cultism unit, Anti-Kidnapping unit, RAIDER and Federal Special 
Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS). Every other policeman on operational duties 
must be in uniform.
“They would only be in mufti only if they are attached to the 
investigation unit of the command. We don’t want any policeman to cause 
us any embarrassment anymore. An example was that of the lawyer that was
 assaulted in Ikoyi recently by policemen who went there in T-shirts as 
FSARS. They will be reduced in ranks to serve as deterrent to others”.
He, therefore, admonished Lagosians to report any policeman in uniform found drinking beer in a restaurant during work hours.
The police boss also took a swipe on parents who neglect their 
children without giving them requisite training and guidance, while 
decrying the rate of drug intake and youths involvement in cultism.
He said: “Cultism and drug intake have taken over our children. That is the greatest challenge that is confronting us in Lagos now.
“People said I am hard on cultists and drug peddlers. But I 
have to be hard or else, they will take over our children and youths, 
who are our future leaders. What are we bequeathing on our children? Are
 we going to leave a community that is taken over by drug and cultism?
“Are we going to leave a community where our girls are 
prostitutes? It pains my heart whenever I sit down and think on how our 
young girls, boys and primary school pupils are now taking to drug abuse
 and cultism. How did we get to this? It goes back to show that we have 
all failed as parents.”
In response, some residents kicked against crushing of 
motorcyclists popularly known as okada by the state government, 
suggesting rather that sanctions such as fines should be stipulated for 
offenders, so as to avoid the temptation of affected riders indulging in
 acts of criminality.
Reacting to the statement, the police boss lamented the state of 
lawlessness and total disregard to traffic laws, especially by 
commercial motorcyclists whom he accused of always driving against 
traffic.
He stated that the command would not tolerate land grabbers, no 
matter how highly placed the individual is in the society.He gave an 
instance of the arrest of a traditional ruler in Badagry area of the 
state.
He said: “Yesterday, (Wednesday) a baale in Badagry began to 
jubilate that he has won a case in court, a case that has not been 
interpreted. He is not a court bailiff; he ought to have reached the 
Commissioner of Police to follow it up legally. He brought mobile 
policemen; only God knows where he got them from. They started shooting 
and in the process, shot someone, who luckily did not die”.
A former Senator who represented Lagos West, Ganiyu Solomon, in his
 remark, applauded the effort of the Edgal-led command, in the fight 
against crime, even as he called on residents to always avail the police
 with information that would sustain its effort.


 
 
 
