By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives Thursday mandated its Committee on Police Affairs to investigate policemen who are not properly dressed on highways with view to take necessary measures to curb unprofessional practice within the system.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion on the ” need for police personnel on highway patrol to be dressed in police uniform and properly number their patrol vehicles” moved by Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims on the floor of the house of representatives.
Hon. Halims while presenting his motion stated that “the policemen on highways patrol appear differently from one checkpoint to another as some do not wear any means of identification such as names tag, uniforms, berets, boots, which makes it difficult for citizens to identify them thereby on occasions, mistaking them for armed robbers.”
He further noted that some of the vehicles used by the policemen on highway patrols are neither properly painted I Nigeria Police colour or properly numbered, thereby not providing clear means of ascertaining the police division they belong to.
“Because of the uncertainty, men of the underworld often take advantage of the situation to ambush unsuspecting Nigerians on the highways and rob them of their valuables, inflicting untold fear and sufferings and sometimes killing or kidnapping innocent people.”
“If proper uniforms with identification tags are made compulsory for policemen on patrol and their patrol vehicles properly numbered, it would be easier for motorists and other road users to clearly differentiate miscreants from legitimate officers on highway patrol duties,” he said.
The House committee is expected to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.
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