Over 225 Police officers of the Ekiti state police command deployed to Kogi state for the November 16 governorship poll have expressed displeasure over alleged refusal of the authorities to pay their election allowances.
They said their names were allegedly expunged on the list of those that were due for payment despite risking their lives day and night to ensure adequate security during the poll.
They said it was appalling and shocking that the police authorities have refused to pay them a month after the election, while others have received theirs, which gave room for suspicion that the fund must have allegedly been embezzled by some high ranking police officers at the state or zonal level.
One of the aggrieved officers who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday appealed to Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, to investigate the cause of the delay.
He said a sum of N90,000 was paid for senior officers above Sergeant rank, while their men within the rank and file got N40,000, revealing that most of the victims were the lower cadre policemen.
A Sergeant, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved policemen said: ” Two batches were deployed for the election in Ekiti. The Ekiti Command was expected to mobilise 500 policemen, but there was a shortfall.
“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.
“Our investigation indicated that half of those who were deployed from Ekiti, numbering over 200, were excluded from payroll. We were curious to ask that why must we be excluded from benefiting from the payments after discharging the national assignment?
“You could all attest to the fact that the Kogi Governorship election was the most volatile and tension-soaked in recent time. We risked our lives for the success of the poll only for us to be paid this way.
“We appeal to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Adamu to investigate this matter and mete out proper punishment to whoever culpable. Those behind this are the ones responsible for the bad image in the Force.”
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Mr Sunday Abutu, denied the allegation, adding that all entitlements due to the police that were deployed for the Kogi election had been paid.
According to the police spokesman, “I am not aware of this. To the best of my knowledge, all the entitlements regarding Kogi issue had been paid.
“Let me also say that there was no protest anywhere, nobody had protested and whoever has any issue should follow the normal channels,”
(Tribune online)
