Tobias Sylvester
A newly recruited female police constable in Nigeria has lamented that she now relies on sex work in order to survive due to the non-payment of her unpaid salaries.
In May, SaharaReporters published a report highlighting the plight of police recruits who graduated from training institutions on December 29, 2022.
Despite being posted to their duty stations across the country, these recruits had not received any salary payments for several months.
Just two days after the report, the Police Service Commission (PSC) announced through its spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, that the salary payments for the constables had been approved.
Ani said the decision was in the interest of national security, and aimed to resolve the ongoing recruitment issues between the PSC and the Nigeria Police Force.
However, despite the alleged approval, SaharaReporters gathered that the new police recruits had still not received their salaries after a month.
This information was confirmed by a female constable serving in Akwa Ibom State, who revealed that she had resorted to engaging in sex work to sustain herself.
“2021 constables have not been paid; we are not yet paid at all. Others have gotten their salaries. Na ashawo I dey take chop now ooo (Now I rely on prostitution to feed),” she said.
Another affected officer expressed frustration at the delay, stating that the announcement of approval was made a month ago but salaries had not been disbursed.
The officer said, “These people have refused to pay the salaries up till now. After making a public announcement that it had been approved since May 5, that’s last month.”
Further testimonies from new recruits in Borno emphasized the demoralizing effect of the situation, pleading for intervention from President Bola Tinubu to address their predicament.
“It’s over a month now and these people haven’t paid us yet. People are outside there risking their lives and dying of starvation. We haven’t received anything yet from the federal government. President Bola Tinubu should help us and find something to do.
“They have paid salaries to other personnel of the force but it only remains 2021 intakes that are yet to be paid. We are dying of hunger,‘ the officer said,
KanyiDaily had also reported how 480 Police Constables held a protest over the non-payment of their salaries for 18 months in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
