PORT HARCOURT (Sundiata Post) – There are indications that scandal may be brewing in the Nigeria Police Force as officers and men of the Rivers State Police Command are spoiling for war with top officers in the finance department following the non-payment of their four months salaries.
Our correspondent’s investigations revealed that over 500 police officers and men of the command have not received their September, October and November salaries and no reasons have been given for the non-payment of the salaries.
A top police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the development is causing growing discontent among the rank and file of the Force
“It is sad that we have not been paid salaries since September this year and nobody is telling us the reasons why the salaries are been withheld,” the source said, adding that the Rivers State Command has requested the affected officers and men to come for physical verification as well as present their bank statements and pay slips without any positive result.
This situation is rubbing off on the welfare and morale of the officers who are groaning under current economic down turn in the economy.
Several efforts to reach the Force Police Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), has failed as she failed on several occasions to pick up her phone.
However, a source in the finance department of the Rivers State Command denied the story, claiming that their was no policeman in the command been owned any salary.
In a telephone chat on Friday, the source, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said policemen could not have been planning to go on strike as no police man or officer under the command “is being owed any salary.”
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According to him “by the grace of God we are not being owed salaries. At least I can speak for myself and my Command, it is only December salaries that are outstanding.”