The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Major General Gold Chibuisi, has warned that civilians who are caught wearing military uniforms illegally will be arrested and prosecuted according to Nigerian law.
Chibuisi gave this warning during a media chat with defence reporters on Saturday night in Abuja. He explained that it is against the law for anyone who is not a member of the armed forces to wear military clothing.
“It is against the law of the land. If you are not in the armed forces, please don’t use our uniform, whether you love it or not,” Chibuisi said.
He added that soldiers have clear instructions on what to do when they see a civilian wearing military camouflage.
“If our troops encounter anyone dressed in military camouflage, they are to get the person to remove it, arrest them, and hand them over to the police for prosecution. All these other things that come with it — like assault — are not right,” he explained.
Chibuisi made it clear that soldiers are not allowed to harass or assault civilians caught wearing military uniforms. He said that soldiers who have mistreated civilians in such cases have been punished.
“Those we find guilty, and where evidence is available, are always sternly sanctioned,” he said.
He also appealed to the public to respect the military uniform. He warned that criminals are now using military clothing to commit crimes, making it difficult for the public and security officers to tell the difference between real soldiers and criminals.
“Currently, there are a lot of criminals using military garb to perpetrate crime. If people keep dressing like that, how do you differentiate between a criminal and a genuine soldier?” he asked.
Chibuisi urged families and communities to advise people not to wear military uniforms unless they are in the armed forces.
“If somebody you know is not in the military and comes out wearing our uniform to jog or drive somewhere, tell him not to,” he said.
The army chief also reminded Nigerians that the Army belongs to the people and should not be feared.
“There is no army that doesn’t want to be seen as working for the people. We are the Nigerian Army. The Nigerian people own us,” he said.
Chibuisi added that the Army is working hard to improve trust between soldiers and civilians by educating both troops and the public about proper conduct.
“We are fine-tuning the conduct of our personnel, and I believe that as we continue to interact, the relationship will keep improving,” he said.
