The Nigeria Police Force has strongly refuted claims of a protest by officers over unpaid promotion salary increments.
The force calls the reports misleading and stresses that salary issues are handled by the Federal Ministry of Finance, not the police.
Recall that police officers under the auspices of Concerned Police Inspectors in Nigeria on Thursday visited the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, along Asutan Street, Uyo the Akwa Ibom State capital to protest non-payment of 11 months’ salary arrears.
Meanwhile, Police Public Relations Officer, Ademuyiwa Adejobi in a Saturday statement described the allegation as an intentional attempt to discredit the force.
It was titled, “Publication of Non-payment of Inspectors’ Salary, Alleged Protest Mischievous, Unfounded.
The officers drawn from different Police formations, who spoke on behalf of their colleagues on condition of anonymity, lamented that their crime-fighting morale had been dampened by the non-commitment to their welfare by the police authorities.
The officers who noted that there were about 1,500 officers promoted from inspector 11-to-1 appealed to the IG, Kayode Egbetokun, to use his offices to effect the payment for the affected officers, to be able to address the harsh socio-economic realities on their families.
However, Adejobi emphasised there are structured and disciplined approaches to addressing grievances, noting that salary disbursements are managed by the Federal Ministry of Finance’s IPPIS, not the police.
It read, “It is important to emphasise that the Nigeria Police Force operates as a structured and disciplined entity, adhering to established principles and professional standards.
“Consequently, any grievances raised by members of the Force are constantly attended to and channelled to the right authorities for action. The force is taken aback by the referred publication from a group of journalists in Akwa Ibom State labelling private conversations with some police friends as protest, whereas such complaints are unknown to the police authority.”
The force reiterated that officers should address salary issues through proper channels and urged journalists to avoid publishing unverified stories that could damage the police’s reputation.
“Furthermore, it is crystal clear that neither the office of the Inspector-General of Police nor the Nigeria Police Force is accountable and responsible for the salary disbursements; this responsibility lies with the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), under the Federal Ministry of Finance. The reports issued by these journalists are not only distressing but also targeted at tarnishing the reputation of the Police Force or the office of the Inspector-General of Police for reasons best known to them.
“It is, however, fundamental to reiterate that should any policeman have issues with his or her payment of salaries, he should take such up with his box keeper or MSS Officer who liaises with the IPPIS desk officers for rectification. We are convinced that no serving officer of the police in Akwa Ibom State or any part of the country would stage a protest on the non-payment of salary more so that our officers are aware of the process to address such sensitive matters,” it added.
The FPRO concluded that the IG advised personnel to use proper channels for welfare concerns and urged journalists to avoid spreading unverified stories that could harm the Force’s reputation.
“The Inspector-General of Police, therefore, encourages all personnel with welfare-related concerns to reach out to the appropriate authorities within their respective commands or formations, thereby avoiding any actions that could bring disrepute to the Force.
“Additionally, journalists are urged to refrain from publishing unfounded and unconfirmed stories that seek to undermine the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force for personal gain like the one under reference from the Akwa Ibom chapter,” he stated.
