The Action Congress of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter has urged the Federal Government, Police Service Commission and the National and State Houses of Assembly to look into the salary disparity between Police officers serving in Rivers State and their colleagues in other states of the federation.
The Party came out with this in a statement issued and signed by the Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam in Port Harcourt and made available to journalists.
“The Nigeria Police is a federal government agency and uniformity in salaries and other benefits accruable to officers across the State commands in the country should not be compromised” ACN remarked.
The party further remarks that disparity in salaries and other entitlements is fraudulent, and calls for thorough investigation to ascertain those behind this inglorious act against these innocent and hard working officers burdened with life saving assignments.
“The salary disparity between the police officers serving in Rivers State and their colleagues elsewhere in the country may not be ruled out as part of the cause of salary maneuvers by some top police officers” the ACN alleged.
ACN said the development, and the recent arrest of Inspector Joseph Ahusi of the Mechanize Salary Section of the Rivers State Police Command calls for thorough investigation to unearth fraudulent practices in the salary of officers of the Command.
The party urges the Police Service Commission and Inspector General of Police to demand from the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, reasons behind the release without prosecution of Inspector Joseph Ahusi of the Mechanize Salary Section of the police in Rivers State saddled with the responsibility of preparing vouchers and payment of salaries to personnel, who was arrested with self-addressed salary cheques, in an attempt to cash them at Azikiwe Road branch of Access Bank in Port Harcourt.
The party reiterates that the State cannot be free from corrupt practices, if the police with the constitutional responsibility to fight corruption continues to compromise.
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