Some police constabulary in Osun State on Wednesday protested against non-payment of their 18-month salaries saying motorcyclists are now sleeping with their wives.
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They put on their uniform and carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Pay Our Salary Now,” “Okada Riders Are Sleeping With Our Wives,” “Pay Us Our 18-month Salary,” “Pay Us Our Stipends And Allowances,” “18 Month Without Kobo,” among others.
The protesters marched with songs from Old Garage to Okefia-Alekuwodo before they converged at Olaiya junction, Osogbo, demanding immediate payment of their salary.
The 480 police constabulary, who were recruited to complement the police structure by providing intelligence, was inaugurated in May 2021 at Police Headquarters, Osogbo, after their training in April 2021.
Speaking with newsmen, Constable Tijani Adewale, said despite the non-payment of salaries, they are committed to duties even as three of their members have lost their lives in the course of carrying out their duties.
According to him, some of them have lost their wives to commercial motorcyclists because of their inability to cater for them and their children.
“We have gone to the local government to meet honourable dignitaries in the state, yet no positive result. We lost three persons in Ikire and one in Iree. These people died in the course of discharging their duty. We are very dutiful even though we have not been paid a dime. Due to unpaid allowances, tricycle and Okada riders have snatched our wives because of our inability to take care of them,” he said,
The State Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, who met the protesters under the Ola-Iya flyover, urged them to stop the protest and promised that concerned authorities will intervene in the matter.
He said, “you are embarrassing the force with your protest. You should have channelled your grievances to the appropriate quarters. You are disturbing public peace with this your protests. As far as you are wearing this uniform, we expect you to maintain high discipline as a force man.”
Similarly, some police officers under the Osun Command alleged that they were yet to be paid their duty allowance for the coverage of the July 16 governorship election.
The officers who spoke under condition of anonymity stated that about 140 officers from the State Investigation Bureau (SIB), 30 from Explosive Ordinance Disposal ( EOD ), and about 160 Mobile police officers of MOPOL 39 have not been paid.
Source:Daily Sun
