A human rights activist and president of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), Prince Dr. Kehinde Taiga, has accused the Delta state government of unwittingly encouraging corruption among police officers serving in the state. Prince Taiga spoke on the phone with Emerald News on Thursday.
He said the state government receives huge funds from the federal allocation but budgets a paltry N100,000 to each police division in the state monthly. He told this medium that there are 53 police divisions across the 25 local government areas in the state.
Arising from his analysis, with 53 divisions receiving N100,000 each, it then means the 53 divisions receive a total of N5,300,000 as monthly security votes from the state government.
When asked on the authenticity of his assertions, Prince Taiga told the online newspaper that his statement is verifiable. He added that his team visited three divisions to authenticate his claim.
He insisted that he had known of it for long but to verify if the trend is still on despite the hike in the prices of all commodities, he visited three stations and was told they receive N100k from Delta state government as security vote.
Taiga, who feels disturbed that the poor support from the state government is adding to the widespread extortion in the police, noted that as at the time the N100K payment started, a litre of fuel was N165 but now a liter of fuel is between N600 and N700.
He then argued that continuing with N100k monthly as financial support to each division was a tactical endorsement of extortion, illegal arrest and other forms of illegalities in the police force so as to meet up with their daily official activities.
He added that Rivers state which has 73 divisions with 20 more than Delta pays N350k as security vote to the each of the 73 divisions in the state. With his analysis, 73 divisions multiply by N350,000 per division, it’s a total of N25,550,000 on a monthly basis.
For the police in Delta to put in their best in the protection of lives and property, Prince Taiga is insisting that the Delta state government should increase the security vote to each division to N400,000 with a total of N21,200,000 for the 53 divisions in the state.
He said N100k monthly cannot support the police in the purchase of stationeries, fuel, other official expenses within the division. He said if the government wanted the police to serve the state with all their strength, the government should boost their morale by doing the needful.
Taiga also told Emerald News that most police officers who retired from the service have not been paid their gratuity and other retirement benefits. He said it is absurd that a police officer would serve the nation for 35 years and after retirement, his money is delayed.
“I got a message from a police officer that retired whose name I will not mention. He said his gratuity and retirement benefits have not been paid since he retired. He told me if he had known that his gratuity and retirement benefits would not be paid on time, he would have made wealth to himself while in service through dubious means.
“But as a man of God, he decided not to be corrupt but what he is supposed to fall back to haven retired, the government is not paying him. This is not too good for someone who served the nation for 35 years.
I’m urging the inspector general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, and federal government to immediately pay all gratuity and retirement benefits of all police officers and all security officers in Nigeria.
“It is sad that someone will serve this country for 35 years and dedicate himself to work day and night, and at the end of the day they are not being paid their retirement and gratuity. This is not fair to them.
“The police authority is also not fair to them. The police service commission headed by Solomon Arase, former inspector general of police, and all others should pay them their gratuities and retirement benefits. This is crucial to their survival.”
