Policemen protest non-payment of election duty allowance

Some policemen from Ekiti State Police Command deployed to Kogi State for the conduct of last month’s governorship election on Thursday expressed displeasure over alleged refusal of the police authorities to pay their allowances, about one month after.

The policemen, numbering 225, who alleged that their names were expunged from the list of those due for payment, appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, to intervene in the matter.

The aggrieved policemen, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti, said, “We want the IGP to investigate this matter, get our allowances for us and mete out proper punishment to whoever is culpable. Those behind this are the ones responsible for the force’s bad image.”

One of them, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said, “We risked our lives day and night to ensure adequate security during that volatile election. It is appalling and shocking that the police authorities have refused to pay us, a month after the election, while others have received theirs.

“This has given room for suspicion that the fund must have been embezzled allegedly by some high ranking police officers at the state or zonal level. We appeal to the IGP to investigate the cause of the delay.”

The police sergeant added, “The Police Commissioner, Mr Asuquo Amba, deployed 300 policemen about 10 days to the election. When there were complaints, another 150 were drafted to Kogi on the order of the CP, five days to the election.