The operatives of Anambra State security outfit, Agunaechemba, have been banned from wearing masks while on duty.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, gave the directive on Thursday while addressing Agunaechemba commanders.
According to a press statement issued by the office of the security adviser on Friday, Emeakayi told the commanders that the directive takes immediate effect and is aimed at preventing the possible use of masks by unscrupulous persons to commit violent crimes.
The commanders were drawn from the 179 communities across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state during a routine meeting in Awka.
Before the ban, the operatives covered their faces with masks carrying various designs and inscriptions during operations.
Agunaechemba, launched with 2,000 personnel and 200 vehicles, is a statewide security outfit tasked with fighting crime through a community-based approach to strengthen local policing. It was established in 2025 through the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
Addressing the commanders, Emeakayi warned that any personnel who flout the order, except those on special assignments, will be arrested and disciplined.
He said, “Henceforth, Agunaechemba operatives must stop wearing masks. Any operative carrying out his duty with a mask, especially within town in civil cases, is hiding something.
“By operating with masks, security operatives can scare citizens, while criminal elements can also take advantage of it and perpetrate crime, which could be blamed on the agency and its men.
“You have nothing to fear. All of you live in various localities, and people already know you as security men.
“When you sit at joints enjoying your beer, do you mask up? Some of you even take your working tools (guns) to drinking joints. What do you want to prove? Just so that people will hail you?”
He warned that the state is stopping operatives from wearing masks while operating and will enforce the directive.
“The ban on the use of masks is aimed at preventing their possible use by unscrupulous persons to commit violent crimes,” he said.
The special adviser further cautioned against the indiscriminate setting up of checkpoints on roads by Agunaechemba operatives, saying that such checkpoints must be strictly for security reasons, targeted at criminals, and not to harass innocent motorists and other road users.
“No checkpoint will be mounted permanently on any particular road or route by personnel of the security group. The commanders must also assist in the fight against drug dealers in the state through intelligence-led operations,” he added.