Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo On Monday Met Behind Closed Doors With The Inspector-General Of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, At The Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The
meeting came shortly after the news broke that some policemen were protesting
against non-payment of their allowances in Maiduguri, Borno State.
It
was, however, not clear if Idris was summoned over the protest or he decided on
his own to brief Osinbajo on the development.
The
meeting, which was held inside the Vice-President’s office, came at a time
President Muhammadu Buhari was attending the 31st Ordinary Session of the
African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Mauritania.
The
agenda of the meeting was not made public.
Idris
did not speak with journalists at the end of the meeting.
The
Presidency also had yet to issue any press statement on the meeting as of the
time of filing this report.
Mobile
policemen took to the streets of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Monday
morning to protest six months’ unpaid allowances.
It
was learnt that the officers were posted to the state in January to beef up the
security of the troubled state, which had been bedevilled by Boko Haram
insurgency for about a decade.
The
protesting policemen, who were fully armed, marched in their hundreds to the
Borno State Police Headquarters located on a major highway in the town.
The
protesting policemen barricaded the highway, shooting sporadically into the air
and scaring off motorists.
Some
of the students and workers had to turn back to their homes as they could not
pass through the barricade.
Some
of the policemen, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of
anonymity, lamented that since January when they were deployed in the state on
a special operation, they had not been paid their allowances.
They
complained that many of them had had to endure inhuman treatment as they had to
sleep on the corridor of the office on returning from duty at night.
When
contacted, the Commissioner of Police in Borno State, Damian Chukwu, said he
was aware of the protest.
He,
however, said the delay in the payment of the policemen’s allowances might not
be unconnected with the late signing of the budget.
It
was later learnt that the IG waded into the crisis by directing the
commissioner in charge of the Police Mobile Force to immediately relocate to
Maiduguri to address the crisis.
In
a press statement in Maiduguri, the spokesman for the Borno Police Command,
Edet Okon, said, “The IG has consequently directed the Commissioner of Police
in charge of Police Mobile Force to relocate to Borno State and address the
situation.”
He
added, “The Borno State Government has also intervened and pledged to assist to
better the condition of the visiting PMF personnel.
“The
Police High Command is aware of their plight and liaising with appropriate
Federal Government agencies to address the situation.
“We
are hopeful that since the 2018 budget has been signed by the Presidency, the
allowances will be paid soon.
“Meanwhile,
efforts by officers of the command yielded results as the situation was brought
under control. Members of the public are, therefore, encouraged to go about
their lawful activities without any fear or apprehension.”
However,
the Force Spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, had in a statement in Abuja
denied reports that riot policemen protested over the delay in the payment of
their special duty allowances in Maiduguri on Monday.
Moshood
said that the policemen simply visited the Borno State Police Command
headquarters to enquire about the delay of their allowances.
Moshood’s
claim was, however, contrary to pictures circulating online, showing policemen
holding leaves and firing their weapons in the air.
Moshood explained that the Inspector-General of Police, Idris, had directed the Commissioner of Police in Borno State to explain to the men why there was a delay in the payment of their allowances and to also assure them that “since the budget has been approved, the allowances will be expeditiously processed and paid without any further delay.”
Comments
Post a comment
Leave a comment
Pls Note:Views expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent that of Naijacynth