No fewer than 480 police constabularies have protested the alleged non-payment of their 18-month salary in Osun.
They marched on the major streets and junctions of Osogbo, the capital of Osun State to protest.
The constabularies recruited to complement the police structure by providing intelligence, among others, were inaugurated in May 2021 at Police Headquarters, Osun State after their training in April 2021.
The protesting policemen on uniforms converged on the Old-Garage area, marching through Oke-Fia, Alekuwodo before storming the Ola-Iya flyover to press home their demands.
They carried placards with several 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’ and ‘18 months without kobo’ among others.
One of the leaders of the protesting policemen, Constable Tijani Adewale, said despite the non-payment of salaries they are committed to duties stressing that amid their predicament three Constabularies died while on duty.
He lamented that commercial tricyclists and motorcyclists have snatched their wives due to their inability to provide for them and their children.
Adewale explained: “We have gone to the local government, honourables and 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.”
Osun State Police Commissioner, Olawale Olokode, later joined them at the Ola-Iya bridge and ordered them to stop the protest immediately.
He assured them that the concerned authorities will intervene in the matter to solve their plights.
He said: “You are embarrassing the force with your protest. You should have channelled 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”.
