Widows Of Dead Policemen Deserve Better Treatment

IGP Mohammed Adamu

Nigerians are generally appalled by the sight of policemen collecting bribes on checkpoints on our highways and other roads across the country. It is a practice that has demeaned the police in the eyes of the public.

Many have blamed it on the poor remuneration of the police personnel, while others blame it on the poor vetting process in the recruitment of police personnel. While others still blame it on the widely held views that police jobs like most other jobs in Nigeria are sold and bought, without regard to qualification and integrity of the applicant. Those who bought their police jobs see it as their market in which they must extort money from the public daily to recoup their investment for the job.

However poor welfare of the personnel and the treatment of their widows when they die in course of duty or due to sickness are bound to breed more disgruntled police officers who would not be committed to their duty as law enforcement officials. In the effort to motive the personnel and perhaps stop the brazen taking of bribes, in November 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari approved an enhanced salary structure for the Nigeria Police Force and gave assurance that his administration would continue to pay attention to the welfare and operational needs of the force. The president spoke when he played host to the members of the Nigeria Police Service Commission and the leadership of the force who were on a “thank you” visit to him. Buhari expressed the commitment of his administration to restoring the NPF lost primacy in the internal security framework of the country. He regretted that the inability of the police in performing their constitutional role as the frontline force in the prevention of crime, had led to military involvement in the maintenance of law and order throughout the country.

“From Taraba to Sokoto, to the South-South, people don’t feel secure until they see the military. “I am pleased to make the increase in salary and allowances in the hope that it will increase the performance index of the police and strengthen Nigeria’s internal security system,” he said. According to him, the more efficient the police is, the more confident the government and citizens will be. A year after the President intervention to improve the welfare of officers and men of the Force, it appears not much has changed. Most Inspector Generals of Police once appointed always express commitment to the welfare of the police personnel or perhaps it is a question of old habits die-hard. Nothing represent the poor welfare package of the police personnel It is a great honour to welcome you to the formal launch of the automated cooperative management portal of the Nigeria Police Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society Limited.

One of the appalling decisions of the police high command was the quick eviction of family members once the police officer dies. A recent case in point was a 40-year-old George that took ill for about a week and was taken to a hospital in the Ikeja area, where he died in late August, 2019. His remains were subsequently taken to his hometown in Benue State, where it was interred. Upon the wife’s return after the burial in September, George’s family was told that they have only three months to stay in his official accommodation, after which they must pack out. This very unfair treatment of families of dead police is likely to dampen the morale of serving officers and make them not to put in their best in carrying out their duties. If such a policy must stand then the police authority must ensure that all the entitlements of the dead officer are paid to his family,first. A situation where the entitlements are not yet paid and the family is told to pack out, begs the question, where they would get the money to pay for new accommodation? This policy, surely, needs a review.