Abubakar Tsav, a retired Commissioner of Police, has kicked against the proposed new police uniform.
In a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Makurdi, Mr. Tsav said that what the police needs is training and capacity building for its personnel.
“What the police need is capacity building, training and re-training, procurement of equipment, and regular payment of salaries and allowances,” he said.
The retired police chief also said that the police needs good and habitable barracks and internal fight against corruption and proper supervision of its personnel.
Mr. Tsav said that the new uniform was a “misplaced priority” and that the concept should, therefore, be shelved.
He said that the uniform was not the answer to the Boko Haram insurgence plaguing the Northern states of the country.
He said that rather, the proponents of the new uniform should embark on measures that would save the police, who have now become “endangered species”.
Reacting to the comments by Mr. Tsav, the Spokesman of the Benue Police Command, Ejike Alaribe, said the former police chief is entitled to his opinion, and was only expressing his views.
“To the best of my knowledge, the acting Inspector-General of Police is a no nonsense officer, who always has the interest of the police and the country at heart,” Mr. Alaribe said.
He said that from the outset, the IG had asked Nigerians to make their observations on the new uniform, adding that Mr. Tsav was only complying with that request and should therefore not be condemned.
