Salary protest: We’re not owing our officers in Kwara, say police

The Kwara state police command has dismissed a viral video regarding a protest by some officers over alleged non-payment of salary.

Okasanmi Ajayi, police public relations officer (PPRO) in Kwara, said this in a recent statement.

Over the weekend, about 1,056 special constables protested across some strategic areas of Ilorin, alleging that the Kwara state government was owing them for 18 months.

But Ajayi said those that protested were constabularies and not police officers.

He said the constabulary only receives allowances paid by the state government.

“The Kwara State Police Command wishes to dissociate herself from a video already spiralling on Facebook, regarding a protest by some purported policemen over the non-payment of one year salary,” the statement reads.

“For purposes of clarification, the characters seen in the video are police special constabularies recruited to complement the operation of community policing. It is important to state that the concept of community policing and recruitment of special constabularies is voluntary, meaning they are not on monthly remuneration like the conventional policemen.

“The constabularies were briefed before taking up the job, besides the job is not a full-time job.”

“The commissioner of police Kwara State, CP Assayomo psc (+) wishes to state categorically that the police are not owing any policeman or woman any salary, nor is the police owing the special constabularies salary. Therefore, members of the public are advised to disregard the viral video as it was designed to embarrass the police and draw undue sympathy from the public.”

“The men and women of the special constabulary are at liberty to honourably disengage from the service if they so wish.”