Police Protest in Kaduna over Unpaid Salaries

NPF: We only had challenges of underpayment, names’ omission

Paul Obi in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
Some policemen serving in the Kaduna State command on Monday staged a peaceful protest against non-payment of their two months salaries.
The policemen, mostly of the rank and file, stormed the salary department of the command to find out the cause of their predicament.

The protesting force men were made up of those who were paid half salaries and those who hadnot been paid for two months.
They alleged that their salaries were being deducted indiscriminately without any explanation.
It was learnt that the problem started following the implementation of Interpersonal Payroll Information System (IPPS) by the ministry of finance.

The policemen complained that the problem started in August when some of them started receiving half or even less than half of their salaries while others were not paid at all.
“When we complained, we were told that the problem would be rectified in September, but the problem still persisted in September.

“Nobody told us what was happening. How can they be shortchanging us in these hard times,” one of the protesting policemen said.
The policemen later dispersed after their commissioner, Agyole Abeh, addressed them.
Addressing the aggrieved policemen, Abeh, said the delay in payment of salaries was from the IPPS office in the federal ministry of finance and not the police.

He said: “They are police officers operating under the law, if they misbehave, we will deal with them according to the law. This is mutiny! We have laws and principles guiding our conduct and no police officer can carry placard protesting.”
However, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said there was no iota of truth in the said reports.
He said: “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to reports in some media captioned: ‘Nigeria Police Force personnel protest non-payment of salaries’.

“The force wishes to categorically state that salaries of Police Personnel across ranks throughout the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and all other police formations are being paid as at when due and on time.”
Moshood explained that “it is not correct and it is misleading that police personnel protested anywhere in the country because of non-payment of salary as reported in some media yesterday or at any other time.

“Few policemen who went on inquiry to the Mechanised Salary Section (MSS) in Kaduna State Police Command over complaint of under-payment, omission of their names on the salary payroll as a result of the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) handled by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, were immediately attended to and addressed by the officer in charge of the MSS, Kaduna State Command in the early hours of today (yesterday) that their problems have been taken up by the Force headquarters with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and they left for their duty posts.”
He maintained that “no policeman protested or went on rampage as reported in the media in the state or anywhere else in the country.

“However, some challenges such as under-payment, omission of names on payroll, non-payment and over-payment of some police personnel experienced in the eight state commands that have been enrolled on the platform of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in the payment of August and September 2017 salary have been taken up with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and its being promptly addressed.

“Members of the public are hereby enjoined not to panic but to go about their lawful duties and other responsibilities without fear or apprehension.
“No policeman protested in Kaduna or any other state in the country because of nonpayment of salary,” Moshood insisted.