A group, the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), has accused the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, of diverting funds and discriminatory payment of allowances meant for security personnel working at the Presidential Villa.
In a letter addressed to the NSA and signed by the National Coordinator of NOPRIN, Okechukwu Nwanguma, the group called for the comprehensive investigation of the allegations.
NOPRIN in the letter disclosed that it was reliably informed that, “the security staff members affected are those whose primary responsibility is to cover any presidential movement within the South West, South South and South East, including the Vice President and visiting Presidents of foreign countries.
It stated that arrears of one year and three months were approved for all the State House Security staff and payment commenced in October 2016 and that all the Presidential Villa Security Staff were given forms from the office of the NSA to fill for this allowance and they all filled the Presidential Villa Security Staff Personal Data form in January and again in November 2016.”
The group further lamented saying: “However, while those at the Presidential Villa, Abuja have been receiving alerts for their paid allowances since October, their counterparts at the Lagos Unit 239, Dodan Barracks, Lagos – 63 in all- are yet to receive any payment.
“That the office of NSA is in charge of this fund and that the affected security staff have made representations to his office without any respite and that even for those paid in Abuja, not all of them of the same rank received the same amount; for example, while some received as high as N1.67 million each, others received as low as N75,000 each.
“However, some of the superior officers who were initially underpaid were later paid their full allowance after they allegedly protested but not the same for junior officers who cannot openly complain.
It noted that some of the security staff also complained of being discriminated against by being labelled ‘PDP Police’ and that the Squadron Commander, PMF 24 Villa Abuja, Abdullahi Ibrahim (CSP), has threatened the affected security staff with transfer if they continue to complain.
it therefore called on the NSA to urgently intervene in order to ensure fair treatment and speedy resolution of the complaints among State House security staff over their suspicion of diversion and consequent non-payment of arrears of their Risk Caution Allowance (RCA) approved by the President for all State House security.
