Some police constabulary Wednesday staged a protest in Osogbo, Osun state, demanding immediate payment of their 18-month salaries.
They wore their uniform and marched with songs from Old Garage to Okefia-Alekuwodo, before they converged under the Olaiya flyover, Osogbo.
The police protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Pay Our Salary Now,” “Okada Riders Are Sleeping With Our Wives,” “Pay Us Our 18-month Salary,” “Pay Us Our Stipends And Allowances,” “18 Month Without Kobo,” among others.
They stated that 480 police constable who were recruited to complement the police structure by providing intelligence, were inaugurated in May 2021 at police headquarters, Osogbo, after their training in April 2021.
Speaking with newsmen, Constable Tijani Adewale, said despite the non-payment of salaries, they are committed to duties even as three of their members have lost their lives in the course of carrying out their duties.
He said some of them have lost their wives to commercial motorcyclists because of their inability to cater for them and their children.
He said: “We have gone to the local government to meet honourable dignitaries in the state, yet no positive result. We lost three persons in Ikire and one in Iree. These people died in the course of discharging their duty. We are very dutiful even though we have not been paid a dime. Due to unpaid allowances, tricycle and Okada riders have snatched our wives because of their inability to take care of them.”
The state commissioner of police, Olawale Olokode, who met the protesters under the Ola-Iya flyover, urged them to stop the protest and promised that concerned authorities will intervene in the matter.
He said: “You are embarrassing the force with your protest. You should have channeled your grievances to the appropriate quarters. You are disturbing public peace with this your protests. As far as you are wearing this uniform, we expect you to maintain high discipline as a force man,” Olokode added.
