The Nigerian Army has urged citizens to refrain from the unlawful wearing of military uniforms, highlighting that respect for the uniform is crucial for strengthening national security and fostering trust between the military and the public.
Major General Gold Chibuisi, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), emphasized this during a media briefing with Defence correspondents in Abuja.
He stated that the misuse of military attire by unauthorized individuals not only violates the law but also facilitates criminal activities.
“I’m a bit surprised that most briefs we give in our programmes, we always talk about this issue of uniform because it keeps recurring. It’s against the law of the land, if you are not in the Armed Forces or the security agencies, to use their uniform — whether you love it or not — it’s a crime,” he explained.
He stressed the need to uphold the law to protect the integrity and safety of the Armed Forces, warning that offenders could face imprisonment. “If you like the military, join the military,” he advised. “Don’t wear our uniform if you are not one of us.”
However, Maj. Gen. Chibuisi condemned the harassment and assault of civilians for illegally wearing military uniforms.
While acknowledging that such actions are unlawful, he emphasized that the Nigerian Army does not condone violence against offenders.
He clarified that while it is against Nigerian law for non-military personnel to wear military uniforms, soldiers are expected to act professionally and lawfully when addressing such situations.
“You’re supposed to just get the person to remove it, arrest and hand it over to the Police, basically for prosecution. All these other things that come with it are not right. And we are doing sensitisation on them,” he explained.
He also mentioned that several soldiers have been sanctioned for assaulting Nigerians who wore military camouflage. “Those that we find and there was evidence that they did that, we always sanction them sternly. And we’ll continue to do that,” Chibuisi affirmed.
Highlighting the security risks, Maj. Gen. Chibuisi pointed out that criminals are increasingly using military uniforms to carry out crimes, making it more difficult for civilians and security agencies to distinguish between genuine 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.
He urged families and communities to assist in raising awareness about this issue.
“If somebody you know is not in the military comes out in the morning, and he wants to jog or drive to Shoprite wearing our uniform, you tell your boy, ‘Wait, you don’t join the army, remove this thing abeg.’ Make sure they don’t catch you.”
Maj. Gen. Chibuisi reiterated that soldiers are trained to arrest civilians wearing military attire and hand them over to the police for prosecution, emphasizing that harassment or rough handling is unacceptable.
He also stressed the importance of preventing the offense from happening in the first place. “One side is for our soldiers to do the right thing when they see it, but the other side is for civilians not to do it at all. Spare us from all that.”
He drew a distinction between Nigeria and other countries, stating, “This is not America. You can’t say because someone wears it in America, you can wear it here. Moreover, the challenges we are having here, I don’t think they have them in America.”
Maj. Gen. Chibuisi underscored the significance of public perception in strengthening national unity, noting that soldiers should be seen as fellow citizens.
He shared a personal anecdote about a military officer who faced difficulty in getting married due to negative stereotypes about soldiers.
“I don’t want another officer to go through that. It’s a work in progress, but as we fine-tune the conduct of our personnel and deepen public engagement, things will keep improving,” he said.
He reiterated that impersonating military personnel is illegal and poses a threat to national security, calling on the media and the public to aid in sensitization efforts and emphasizing that offenders should be arrested and prosecuted, not subjected to extrajudicial treatment.
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