FSARS officer faces disciplinary panel for inappropriate dressing

The Nigerian Police Force has announced that a member of the
Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) is under investigation
for inappropriate dressing.

A picture of Michael Olubode, an inspector, dressed in a
sleeveless undershirt and an official FSARS jacket trended on
Twitter last week for the wrong reasons.

Many Nigerians on social media criticised his appearance and
likened it to that of armed robbers and other criminals he’s
supposed to protect citizens against.

In a short statement on Monday, September 30, 2019, the Police
Force said he’s already facing internal disciplinary procedure for
being inappropriately dressed while on duty.

pic.twitter.com/IuMkYXQvdF^[1]

— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) September 30, 2019^[2]

Many SARS officers have faced the ire of the Nigerian public for
how they dress on duty, and more importantly, their conduct with
citizens.

This weekend, a software developer, Toni Astro, alleged that he
was arrested and beaten by some FSARS officers who wrongly accused
him of being an internet fraudster.

He was only released after he was forced to withdraw money from
his bank account and pay for his freedom. Four officers have been
arrested in connection to the incident.

His allegation led to a resurgence in the criticism of the
police unit which has been notorious for the past couple of years
for several misconducts including harassment, extortion and,
sometimes, extra-judicial murder of innocent Nigerians.

Since the outcry against FSARS commenced in 2017, the unit has
been reorganised three different times, with the last
reorganisation this year rolling back on the one earlier enforced
in 2018.

The Senate also passed a Police Reform Bill in April, but it was
rejected by the House of Representatives which noted that some of
the reforms were in violation of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended).

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