A group of police officers, known as the Concerned Police Inspectors in Nigeria (CPIN), held a peaceful protest in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, due to the non-payment of 11 months’ salary arrears.
The officers marched to the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to voice their concerns.
The leader of the delegation, who spoke in anonymity, said: “Our crime-fighting morale has been dampened by the lack of commitment to our welfare by the police authorities.”
The officers, who were promoted from Inspector II to Inspector I, amount to over 1,500 personnel from various police formations across the state.
Copies of their appeal were also sent to the Presidency, the National Assembly, and the Police Service Commission (PSC).
The letter, addressed to the IGP, reads in part: “We are over 1,500 personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Akwa Ibom Command, promoted from Inspector II to Inspector I, by the IGP effective from September 10, 2023, with a signal dated March 21, 2024.
“Till date, we are still collecting old salaries as junior Inspectors instead of senior Inspectors since the IGP gave us the confirmation letters. So, we have nowhere to run to than to the federal government which is our employer.”
“We can no longer feed our families or pay their bills due to the high cost of essential items in the market.
“It’s difficult to believe that after being celebrated with our families for being elevated to another level, the IGP is deliberately short-paying us for 11 months now, and by calculation, the shortfall is over N550,000 each,” they lamented.
They urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to step in and secure the payment of their salary arrears, stressing that it is essential for their survival given the current harsh economic conditions in the country.
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