Some aggrieved police officers, under the aegis of Concerned Police Inspectors in Nigeria (CPIN) have taken a peaceful walk to the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, lamenting non-payment of their 11 months salary arrears.
Leader of the delegation drawn from different Police formations, who spoke on behalf of their colleagues on condition of anonymity, said their crime-fighting morale of the men has been dampened by the non-commitment to their welfare by the police authorities.
He said the officers promoted from the rank of Inspector II to I, amounted to over 1,500 officers.
They, therefore, appealed to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to use his good office to effect the payment of their salaries to be able to address the harsh socioeconomic realities on their families.
An appeal letter addressed to IGP Egbetokun, with copies to the presidency, National Assembly and the Police Service Commission (PSC), reads: “We are over 1,500 personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Akwa Ibom Command, promoted from Inspector II, to Inspector I by the IGP effective from September 10, 2023, with a signal dated March 21, 2024.
“Till date, we are still collecting old salary as junior Inspectors instead of senior Inspectors since the IGP gave us the confirmation letters. So we have nowhere to run to than to the federal government who is our employee.
“We are uncomfortable with this inhuman treatment by our IGP, after putting many years to serve our country but our entitlements are being denied.
“We can no longer feed our families or pay their bills due to high cost of essential items in the market. It’s difficult to believe that after being celebrated with our families for being elevated to another level, the IGP is deliberately short-paying us for 11 months now, and by calculation, the shortfall is over N550,000 each.
“When we contacted our pay officers, their reply is always that the IPPS has been returning our voucher because there was no directive from the IGP. So we ask; between our IGP and the Police authority, who should take matters of our welfare more serious?
“Since he assumed office as IGP, Mr. Egbetokun, had been promoting officers without commensurate payment of their financial accompaniments. The only signal we have been receiving from him, from Abuja, is dressing code, dressing code and dressing code, what are we going to use to buy the uniforms if our due salaries have not been paid?”
An attached Inspectorate Confirmation of Appointment letter signed by Commissioner of Police (CP) in-charge of welfare, Rose Chollom Dung, on behalf of the IGP, conveyed a congratulatory messages to the affected officers across all Commands in Nigeria, but no indication of any follow-up payment.
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