The fight
against Boko Haram may suffer a major blow, if the psychological disposition of
the mobile police men, drafted to the northern parts of Nigeria to fight the
sect members, is anything to go by.
Fillers
coming in from the axis, alleged that some of the policemen are angry, claiming
that they were sent to the northern parts to be slaughtered like animals, while
equipments needed to fight Boko Haram members were not made available to them
According to
some of them, their military counterparts, were more equipped to fight and stay
alive than the police.
A police
source said: “More than 45 policemen that we know had been killed by the Boko
Haram sect members. There’re those we don’t even know about! Those killed
include Officer in Charge (OC) of mobile policemen and an Assistant
Commissioner of Police in charge of operations (ACP ops). More than 20
policemen sustained permanent injuries. And it’s quite saddening, that none of
those killed or wounded, received any compensation whatsoever!”
It was also
gathered from another source, that policemen in northern parts, lacked Armoured
Personnel Carriers (APC), patrol vehicles and are not allegedly given allowances
as a motivational tools from the Federal government of Nigeria.
“There’s not
even a common good accommodation! The men sleep in partial buildings, like
shanties. And these buildings are the ones ordered by the unit commanders that
the men should construct. The men built these shanties with roofing sheets,”
said another police source. “There’s no enough tear-gas, ammunitions for the
men. These Boko Haram men attack with AK47 rifle guns, rocket launchers,
general purpose machine guns, improvised explosives devices, while our men
confront them with just pump action rifles. These men are not happy, but they
can’t leave the job, because there’s no job in the country.’”
Some of the
policemen alleged that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar,
only promoted policemen in air conditioner offices; in headquarter, while those
fighting the menace of the Boko Haram and getting killed everyday are not
promoted. According to them, the promotions favour policemen in Force Headquater,
Abuja.
“Just
recently, a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), in charge of B,
operations, Mr. Leha, went to pay N90, 000 to 10 mobile Police units posted to
Yobe and Borno States by December 2012, leaving the units that were first
posted to the two states unpaid!”
Another issue,
which is affecting the moral of the men on the beat in north, is what had been
described as police authourity flagrant disregard for the regulation of the
Police Act.
It was
further learnt that some of the mobile policemen, who were supposed to be
de-mobbed after six years, are still at north, going on to 15 years without
transfer. It was further gathered that the situation is far worse for regular
policemen, who were allegedly transferred to north as a sort of punishment.
Many of them
had allegedly been there for over 10-25 years, without transfer.
But a chief
Superintendent of Police (CSP) countered these allegations. He said: “Usually, a
mobile police officer, after three years is supposed to re-new his mobile
allegiance, but can leave the mobile police force after spending six years in
the mobile force. But in case of crisis in any part of the country, like we now
have in the northern part, such mobile police officer cannot be de-mobbed because
more hands are needed during such time to help in such crises prone areas.
Majority of them are sent to such crises prone area en-mass to help the regular
police officers over there. ”
In another
vein, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), a serving mobile officer,
stationed in Ibadan said: “Crisis or no crisis, a mobile police officer is
supposed to serve for maximum of five years! It used to be three years before,
but now five years. Those mobile police officers in north are supposed to be
de-mobbed by now. Mobile policing is a voluntary force. You’re supposed to be
asked where you wished to be posted after five years, but everything is turning
upside down now!”
Attempts
made to get the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, to react to these
allegations, proved abortive, as his ringing phone was not picked.
The
journalist further sent an email to him, detailing out the questions, but the
email was not answered after more than one week.
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