Lieutenant Lamin Gano, Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Armed Forces (Gaf) has warned civilians against the use of military outfits, noting that any body found wearing, importing or selling military uniforms will not go unpunished as stipulated in the law.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer , Lt Gano asserted that no civilian is permitted to wear camouflage or any other military outfit casually or on the streets. "Recently, there has been many reported cases of armed robberies and the commission of several heinous crimes, in which the perpetrators were dressed in military uniforms. Soldiers of the GNA are professionals, and we will not allow criminals to distort the trust and confidence bestowed on us," he said.

According to him, Section 169 of the Criminal Code states that "any person who, not being a person serving in the Armed Forces or any foreign force stationed in The Gambia, wears without the permission of the President, the uniform of any of those forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing of any of the regimental or other distinctive marks on such uniform, is guilty of misdemeanour."

According to him, sub-section 1 of the same section prohibits the wearing of military uniforms without lawful authority and warrants a D250 fine or one month imprisonment term for offenders. "Sub-section 3 warrants a fine of D1000 or a six-month prison sentence in default, for importers and sellers of military uniforms, while sub-section 4 states that upon conviction, any such uniforms or attire belonging to the convict will be forfeited to the State," he explained.

On a final note, he said his office has issued a press release to prohibit the wearing of camouflage or any other military outfit. "We want to make it publicly clear that military uniforms are meant for soldiers only, and not for civilians who use it to execute their criminal intentions. Anybody caught will be charged and arraigned before a Court of Law," he warned.