Paramilitary agencies barred from using camouflage - DHQ
THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday that government has banned paramilitary agencies from using camouflage uniforms and has restricted its use only to the military.
Defence spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade said in a statement that the use of camouflage uniforms by various security agencies other than the Armed Forces - army, navy and the air force - has been banned.
“The Nigerian Police will however use the uniform when in Joint Operation with the military or on special operation such as specific anti-riot missions,” the statement said.
Olukolade said this followed the directive of the National Security Council, as it approved the recommendations of a committee on measures to streamline the use of camouflage uniforms, in view of the security implications and concerns raised on the clamour, duplicity and proliferation of camouflage uniforms in the country.
“The use of camouflage/ fatigue is therefore restricted to the military and for occasional use by the police henceforth. The directive also stipulates that the military is to adopt only two types of camouflage for the three arms of the Armed Forces,” he added.
“All para-military agencies using various camouflage/ fatigues uniforms have up to January 2016 to withdraw such materials currently in their inventory,” Olukolade stated.
“With this development, the Ministry of Justice along with law enforcement agencies have been tasked to ensure that extant laws guiding the use of uniforms in Nigeria are strictly enforced. In the same vein, the Office of the National Security Adviser has been vested with the authority to vet and clear any production and supply of camouflage uniforms in Nigeria,” he added.
“The proliferation and imitation by criminals and impostors using uniforms especially the camouflage have been generating some concern in national security circles. The development has been communicated to all the agencies by the Office of the National Security Adviser,” the DHQ statement said.