No fewer than 1,056 police constabularies yesterday protested nonpayment of 16 months salaries owed them by the state government.
The special constables staged protest in strategic areas of Ilorin, the state capital like Challenge, Post Office and Ahmadu Bello way to the state Government House echoing “Kwara State government, pay us our salaries for 18 months.
Some of the protesters rode on motorcycles carrying three passengers each while others decked in black police uniforms, covered their bodies with leaves and marched along the streets.
The protesters complained that they have not been paid any salary by the state government since the completion of their training in April 2021.
In its reaction, the state police command said that constabularies were recruited to complement the operation of community policing.
Spokesperson of the command Ajayi Okasanmi said that: “It is important to state that the concept of community policing and recruitment of special constabularies is voluntary in nature, meaning they are not on monthly remuneration like the conventional policemen.
“This much the constabularies were briefed before taken up the job, besides; the job is not full time job. Due to the complaints of the constabularies regarding non payment of stipends by the state government, the constabularies were invited for a meeting by the state government on ways by which their complaints could be looked into, hence their invite to the government house today.
“It was surprising that the same set of constabularies after the meeting with agents of the state government could go online with a video claiming that the government was owing them salaries for a year.”
Okasanmi added “that the police do not owe any policeman or woman any salary; neither is the police owing the special constabularies salary.
“The men and women of the special constabulary are at liberty to honorably disengage from the service if they so wish.” Continue Reading
