By Adadainfo
Members of the Nigerian Police are allegedly threatening to boycott the 2023 general elections following six months’ arrears of salary owed them.
A source said the federal government and police authorities are owing police officers from the rank of Inspector about six months’ arrears of salary.
According to the source, who does not want to be mentioned, the force would be left with no option than embark on strike during the 2023 general elections.
The CD/HURIDE, Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD), South-East zone, condemned the six months’ arrears of salary owed to the police officers and promised to join to support the officers until their salaries were fully paid
In a statement in Abuja after their
meeting, the group asked the federal government and police authorities to pay the officers their arrears of salary with immediate effect, saying that by owing them salaries, the federal government would be encouraging corruption within the rank and file of the Nigerian Police.
CD/HURIDE, in the statement by its campaign and publicity secretary, Mazi Daniel Okeke, queried the police for confining their pension with the country’s pension authority, which they said does not protect the interest of officers and men of the Nigerian Police.
The rights group contended that if other security outfits in the country, like the Nigerian Army, Directorate of State Services (DSS) National Intelligence Agency (NIA), have their own pension bodies, why should the Nigeria Police ‘be left to languish with the pension body which does not help their matters’.
It said, “The federal government and police authorities should commence the payment of their police officers with immediate effect.”
They also demanded an immediate increase in the minimum wage of police personnel, saying that apart from owing them arrears of salary, the current take home is not anything to write home about and should be increased to N100, 000 as a minimum pay month.
