Police lament absence of COVID-19 job allowance, face masks, others
Policemen deployed in the enforcement of
the ban on interstate movements and other COVID-19-related assignments
have cried out over non-provision of a special allowance and face masks
for them.
The policemen, who spoke to The PUNCH
on Sunday on condition of anonymity because of the nature of their
job, said since their deployment in state boundaries and intrastate
patrol duties, no mention had been made of a special allowance despite
the fact that they were at the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in his first broadcast on COVID-19 pandemic on March 29, ordered a lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in his first broadcast on COVID-19 pandemic on March 29, ordered a lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states.
Although the enforcement of the
lockdown is being carried out by all security agencies, the police, who
are mainly responsible for the internal security of the country, have
been deployed in all parts of the country to ensure compliance with the
presidential order.
But some policemen have fallen victim
of the deadly virus. For example, a deputy commissioner of police
attached to the Zone 5 headquarters in Benin, Francis Bissong, died of
COVID-19 on April 21.
On May 10, the Public Relations Officer
of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Olusegun Orisajo, said a
policeman died of COVID-19 complications at the FMC.
In Edo State, police officers, who were manning the state boundaries, told The PUNCH that
they had yet to get a special allowance despite the fact that they
could easily be infected with the virus because they mingled with people
when enforcing government’s order.
Some of them stated that they bought face masks to protect themselves from being infected with COVID-19.
A top police officer in the state, who confided in The PUNCH,
stated, “Actually, we don’t have any form of protection. Doctors on
duty have their own protection, but not our men. We have some face masks
and hand gloves we made ourselves and others donated by one
organisation. That’s all. But for the general insurance, there is no
insurance or a special pay package like the one provided by the ministry
of health for health personnel.
“We have our men who send those coming
into the state back. Some of the people our men mingle with are already
infected with COVID-19.”
In the Federal Capital Territory, The PUNCH gathered that face masks had not been provided for police personnel enforcing the interstate travel ban and the curfew in the FCT, despite the risks and exposure they faced daily in the course of interacting with members of the public.
In the Federal Capital Territory, The PUNCH gathered that face masks had not been provided for police personnel enforcing the interstate travel ban and the curfew in the FCT, despite the risks and exposure they faced daily in the course of interacting with members of the public.
It was also learnt that the men had not been paid any allowance for COVID-19 lockdown and curfew enforcement duties.
It was gathered that only a few senior officers were given face masks while the rank and file bought theirs.
On Sunday, it was observed that the
majority of the policemen did not wear masks even as they enforced the
directives on use of face masks in public by residents.
Some of them told one of our
correspondents that they had to buy the masks with their own money,
noting that no personal protection equipment was provided by the
authorities.
A sergeant stated, “We had to buy the
face masks because the command did not provide for us. We expected the
command or government to provide face masks, gloves, hand sanitiser for
security operatives as we face the risk of contracting coronavirus
daily.”
The FCT police spokesman, Anjuguri
Manzah, did not respond to calls and the SMS requesting comments on the
failure of the command to issue the PPE to the police personnel.
It was, however, gathered that the force
headquarters had shared face masks for officers in various departments
but the number of masks provided was insufficient and many rank and file
did not receive them.
One of our correspondents, however,
gathered that the force headquarters had reached out to the Presidential
Task Force on COVID-19 on the need to provide the PPE and special
allowances for policemen.
The Director of Information in the
Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Willie
Bassey, did not respond to inquiries sent to him on Sunday.
He was asked to explain what the PTF was
doing to address the complaint by the policemen that they had not
received any special allowance and the PPE.
In Enugu State, The PUNCH also learnt that policemen and women enforcing interstate lockdown had not received any special allowance and the PPE.
Other security agents like the men of
the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, it was gathered, had not
been given an allowance and the PPE.
A senior police officer, who did not
want his name mentioned, told one of our correspondents that they had
not received any special allowance since the enforcement of the
interstate ban started.
The NSCDC State Public Relations
Officer, Manuel Iwuchukwu, confirmed that no special allowance was
provided for the agency’s personnel on lockdown enforcement operations
in the state.
He said “There is no any kind of
allowance because of the pandemic.In my command, Enugu State, the
management provided hand sanitisers, buckets and soap, but no special
allowance.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the state
Police Command failed as neither the Commissioner, Ahmad Abdurrahma nor
the Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, answered calls and
replied text messages sent to their mobile phones.
In Ogun State, policemen and women, who spoke to The PUNCH
on anonymity, lamented that unlike other professionals involved in the
war against COVID-19, they had not been given any special allowance and
face masks.
They also complained that most of them
had no personal vehicles and that they were always stranded when
going back home after finishing their work.
But the state police command said it
was expecting funds from the police headquarters for a special
allowance for its men on COVID-19 duties.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, stated this in an interview with The PUNCH.
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