The 1056 Police Constabularies who protested in Ilorin on Saturday were not paid on a monthly basis like regular police officers, according to the Kwara state police command, and they were informed of this at the time of recruitment.
The command expressed amazement that the police Constabularies continued to protest even after they had discussed their complaints with state government officials.
Furthermore, it said that because the work was voluntary, the Police Constabularies were free to quit.
Remember that on Saturday in Ilorin, the youths who had been recruited as Constabularies into the Nigerian Police Force to assist the police in maintaining security in Kwara state staged a protest over the alleged nonpayment of a 16-month salary that they claimed the state government owed them.
The Special Constables organized a demonstration in the state capital’s key locations, such as Challenge, the Post Office, and Ahmadu Bello Way, chanting, “Kwara state government, pay us our salary for 18 months.”
While some of the demonstrators, who were dressed in black police uniform, rode on motorcycles with three passengers each, others covered their bodies with leaves as they marched down the streets.
The Constables alleged that the state government had not given them a salary since they finished their training in April 2021.
However, the state police command responded that neither it nor the government had made a financial commitment to be paying the Constabularies monthly wages similar to the regular police officers before, during, and after their training.
In a press release addressing the development, Kwara State Police Command spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi stated, “Kwara State Police Command wishes to dissociate itself from a video already spiraling on Facebook, alleging a protest by some allegedly policemen over the non-payment of one year wage.”
For the purpose of clarification, the characters in the film are police special constabularies hired to support the practice of community policing, according to the statement.
It is crucial to note that the idea of community policing and the hiring of special constabularies is volunteer in nature, which means they are not paid on a monthly basis like regular police officers. Before beginning work, the constabularies received this briefing. Moreover, the employment is not a full-time position.
The statement continued, “Due to the constabularies’ complaints regarding the state government’s failure to pay their stipends, the state government invited the constabularies to a meeting to discuss how to address their grievances, which is why they were invited to the government building today.
It was unexpected that the same constabularies could post a video online after their meeting with state government representatives asserting that they were owed a year’s worth of wages.
The police commissioner Kwara Announce’s Chief Police Officer Tuesday Assayomo psc (+) wishes to state unequivocally that neither the special constabularies nor any police officers are owed any salaries by the police. As a result, the general public is recommended to Ignore the viral video since it was made to humiliate the cops and arouse excessive public sympathy.
The statement added, “The men and women of the special constabulary are at liberty to honorably disengage from the service if they so desire.
However, Mr. Olabode Towoju, the state’s commissioner for communication, claimed that local governments in the state should be in charge of the police constables.
The Constabularies are not directly compensated by the state government, he claimed. The local governments, who have been providing them with stipends, are looking after them.
Towoju added that in order to increase security in light of the current security issues and to lower the state’s unemployment rate, the administration hired some young men last year.
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