‘We Are Hungry’ – Policemen Lament Non-payment Of Five-Month Allowance

Policemen on counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast region have lamented the non-payment of their duty allowances in the last five months.

Naija News understands Joint security forces comprising mobile police and the military were posted to the region to fight against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) fighters and bandits.

It was learned that some of the affected officers alleged that they had been owed various allowances since their deployment to the Northeast.

In a chat with SaharaReporters, the officers accused the police authorities of abandoning them, adding that they were confused, depressed, destabilised and less productive.

“For a good five months now, we, men of the Police Mobile Force here in the North-East states of Adamawa, Yobe Borno and others have not been paid our special allowances.

“However, our counterparts in the army are being paid monthly and it’s the same budget,” one of the aggrieved policemen told SaharaReporters.

The officer, who said attempts to complain have been met with threats by the police authorities, also called for a review of the allowances to reflect the current economic realities of the country.

Another officer, an inspector in rank, lamented acute hunger, saying they were not properly fed and their health had not been looked after.

He said: “We are not even given good food; we use our money to buy medicine from public medical vendors due to poor medication. Most of us now rely on bribe from motorists.

“Could it be that all of us who are policemen sent here for Boko Haram Operation were dumped here by the authorities? Our allowance for rank and file is N30,000 monthly and inspectors are expected to get N45,000; that is if the month is 30 days and if it’s 31 days, an additional N1000 for rank and file while inspectors will get an additional N1500.”