Wearing of mufti by Police officers while carrying out operational duties will no longer be allowed by the Force in Lagos state.

Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal who gave the warning, threatened to sanction any erring policeman who flouts the directive.

Already, two policemen who allegedly assaulted a lawyer last week in Ikoyi, Lagos, would be demoted in rank, for wearing plain clothes to effect the arrest of the legal practitioner.

Egdal handed down the warning at the third Stakeholder’s Security Meeting on Security Policing, organised by the Area ‘D’ Command, Mushin, themed “Policing the Community by the Community,”saying certain policemen would be allowed to wear jackets with the inscriptions of their units on them.

According to him, only units allowed to wear jackets with the inscription of their unit on them were Anti-Cultism Unit, Anti-Kidnapping unit, Raider and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, every other policeman on operational duties must be in uniform.

He said they would only be in mufti if they were attached to the investigation unit of the command.

Edgal also warned that “no policeman should be seen drinking alcoholic drinks on duty,” therefore, Lagosians should report any policeman in uniform found drinking in beer parlors or joints to the nearest police station or call the designated numbers in the public domain.

The police boss said the greatest challenges confronting security agencies in the state were cultism, drug abuse by youths, child abuse, and prostitution.

He blamed parents who refused to bring up their children in a God-fearing way.

The police boss also took a swipe on parents who neglect their children without giving them requisite training and guidance, while decrying the rate of drug intake and youths involvement in cultism. He said: “Cultism and drug intake have taken over our children. That is the greatest challenge that is confronting us in Lagos now.

“People said I am hard on cultists and drug peddlers. But I have to be hard or else, they will take over our children and youths, who are our future leaders. What are we bequeathing on our children? Are we going to leave a community that is taken over by drug and cultism?

“Are we going to leave a community where our girls are prostitutes? It pains my heart whenever I sit down and think on how our young girls, boys and primary school pupils are now taking to drug abuse and cultism. How did we get to this? It goes back to show that we have all failed as parents.”