EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Police Sack 24 Officers, Demote Many Others Over 'Protest Against Non-payment Of Osun Gov. Election Duty Allowance'

About 24 police officers from the Delta State Command who covered the July 16 governorship election in Osun State have been dismissed from the service.

According to multiple sources, the policemen were sacked for accusing the authorities of withholding their allowances during the election.

Others were also demoted to junior ranks for similar reasons, SaharaReporters learnt on Thursday.

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“Police just dismissed and demoted up to 40 personnel for fighting for their right during Osun election. The government gave the authorities money to share for the personnel on special duty but they refused to share the money to them, so they protested against this action and demanded their benefits,” one of the sources, a senior police officer in Delta State told SaharaReporters.

In July, some officers posted to Osun state for the governorship election accused the authorities of withholding their allowances.

“We ought to have been paid our allowances the moment we were deployed to secure the governorship election in Osun State but those who were supposed to pay us said we should wait till Sunday when the election would have ended,” one of the aggrieved officers was quoted as saying.

But Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said their banks caused the delay and that the allegation was “misleading and unfounded”.

Adejobi said contrary to the claims made by the officers, some of those who were deployed for the election started receiving their entitlements before the election began.

A signal exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters dated December 12, 2022, revealed that some of the aggrieved officers from Delta State Command have been dismissed.

The signal said the men were dismissed from service following their orderly room trial for alleged mutiny contrary to Section 96 of the reviewed Police Act 2020. 

Some of the sacked officers are Onyegwu Prosper (F/NO. 520977), Ofua David (F/NO. 520657), Abanu Eze (F/NO. 520731), Ovwie Solomon (F/NO. 520785) Ohue ThankGod (F/NO. 520244) and Ocheyechi Sunday (F/NO.521031).

The signal reads, “DISCIPLINE GENERAL X REF LET NO. CH:6350/DTS/PROV/VOL.13B/405 DATED 16/08/2022 X COMPOL HAS REVIEWED THE ORDERLY ROOM PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOLLOWING INSPECTORS AND RANK AND FILE NUMBERING 31 X AP/NO. 323800 W/INSPR BEAUTY ANORA X AP/NO. 172264 INSPR KELVIN EZE X AP/NO.323808 INSPR. ARIGIDI TAMARANKURO X AP/NO.182973 INSPR OYIBO JOSEPH X F/NO. 478986 SGT CHRISTOPHER CLEVER.” 

It continued, “X F/NO.512969 CPL JOSEPH KELVIN X F/NO. 513430 CPL EKOM MICHAEL X F/NO. “520977 PC ONYEGWU PROSPER X F/NO. 520657 PC OFUA DAVID X F/NO. 520731 PC ABANU EZE X F/NO. 520785 PC OVWIE SOLOMON X F/NO. 520244 PC OHUE THANKGOD X F/NO.521031 PC OCHEYECHI SUNDAY X F/NO.521032 PC, EDI BRUME X F/NO. 520640 PC IDARASET SONGUYO X F/NO. 520297 PC OSAZIE OMORECHIE X F/NO. 420677 PC COLLINS EGWUANUKWU X F/NO. 520280 PC OGBOLU HINCKELY X F/NO. 520242 PC UYABAEGHA ISAAC X F/NO. 516006 PC ONWUGBONU OSARETI X F/NO. 520781 PC IWENDI CHUKWUDI X F/NO. 520936 PC ARMSTRONG OKOROFOR X F/NO. 520733 PC OGRNIM EKENE X F/NO. 520521 PC AJULO ZACCHEUS X F/NO. 520194 PC OBEMEATA GODWIN X F/NO. 518839 PC OBONG CHARLES X F/NO. 520181 PC GABRIEL EJIRO X F/NO 520734 PC UYAEBO INNOCENT X F/NO 520595 PC ONWUSA HAPPY X F/NO. 520985 PC IGHOGBOJA STANLEY X F/NO. 520249 PC OMORUYI JOSHUA. 

“X THE DEFAULTERS WERE TRIED FOR THE OFFENCE OF DISCREDITABLE CONDUCT TO WIT: MUTINY CONTRARY TO SECTION 96 OF THE REVIEWED POLICE ACT 2020 X THEY WERE ULTIMATELY FOUND GUILTY AND ACCORDINGLY AWARDED THE FOLLOWING PUNISHMENT AS INDICATED AGAINST THEIR RESPECTIVE NAMES X REDUCTION IN RANK FROM SGT-CPL X (1) F/NO. 478986 SGT CHRISTOPHER CLEVER X REDUCTION IN RANK FROM CPL-PC X (2) F/NO. 513430 CPL EKOM MICHAEL X (3) F/NO. 512969 CPL JOSEPH KELVIN X DISMISSAL FROM THE FORCE X (4) F/NO. 520977 PC ONYEGWU PROSPER X (5) F/NO. 520657 PC OFUA DAVID X (6) F/NO. 520731 PC ABANU EZE X (7) F/NO. 520785 PC OVWIE SOLOMON X (8) F/NO. 520244 PC OHUE THANKGOD X (9) F/NO.521031 PC OCHEYECHI SUNDAY X (10) F/NO.521032 PC EDI BRUME X (11) F/NO. 520640 PC IDARASET SONGUYO X (12) F/NO. 520297 PC OSAZIE OMORECHIE X (13) F/NO. 420677 PC COLLINS EGWUANUKWU X (14) F/NO. 520280 PC OGBOLU HINCKELY X (15) F/NO. 520242 PC UYABAEGHA ISAAC X (16) F/NO. 516006 PC ONWUGBONU OSARETI X (17) F/NO. 520781 PC IWENDI CHUKWUDI X (18) F/NO. 520936 PC ARMSTRONG OKOROFOR X (19) F/NO. 520733 PC OGRNIM EKENE X (20) F/NO. 520521 PC AJULO ZACCHEUS X (21) F/NO. 520194 PC OBEMEATA GODWIN X (22) F/NO. 518839 PC OBONG CHARLES X (23) F/NO. 520181 PC GABRIEL EJIRO X (24) F/NO 520734 PC UYAEBO INNOCENT X (25) F/NO 520595 PC ONWUSA HAPPY X (26) F/NO. 520985 PC IGHOGBOJA STANLEY X (27) F/NO. 520249 PC OMORUYI JOSHUA X EFFECTIVE DATE OF PUNISHMENT X 7/12/2022 X MEANWHILE THE CASE OF THE QUARTET OF (28) AP/NO. 323800 W/INSPR BEAUTY ANORA X (29) AP/NO. 172264 INSPR KELVIN EZE X (30) AP/NO.323808 INSPR. ARIGIDI TAMARANKURO X (31) AP/NO.182973 INSPR OYIBO JOSEPH IS AWAITING AIGZON V'S DETERMINATION X COMPOL DOPS/ACPOL/DPOS/PROVOST ASABA ONLY X ENSURE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PUNISHMENT AGAINST THE DEFAULTERS X IPPIS ABUJA PAYPOL/PAYMECH CRS/BYS/EBS/OYS/IKJ/EDS/DTS ONLY X ACT APPROPRIATELY X RECORDS/DATABASE ASABA ONLY X AMEND RECORDS YOURS ACCORDINGLY PLEASE XXXXXXXXX XXX.”