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

— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) September 30, 2019

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).