1,260 policemen protest transfer to North East region

Over 1,260 policemen from the six South West states of the country are silently protesting their recent transfer to Northern states, especially the Boko Haram infested North East.

In a report by Vanguard Newspaper, the transferred officers have complained bitterly against what they referred to as a ‘lopsided transfer that attracts no incentives.

It was reported that a signal by AIG Abdul Bude from Force Headquarters, Abuja, dated December 24, 2016 with reference No CB 4770/FS/FHQ/ABJ/Vol. 5/232, mandated the affected policemen to assemble in Kaduna on January 4, 2017 for further directives.

The report also insinuated that one of the reasons the affected policemen are unhappy with the transfer is that such transfer done in 1997, 2003 and 2015 had recorded heavy casualties among the policemen from the South West due to inadequate facilities.

Hence, the reluctance that has been witnessed since the signal by AIG Bude from the Force Headquarters on Christmas eve.

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A Vanguard source was quoted as saying: “Since they started the transfer, lives of several policemen of South West extraction have been wasted because when they transfer them, the authority would not provide necessary facilities such as money, accommodation which make them prone to attacks by the insurgents.

“We are not happy at all. This transfer was earlier stopped by the National Assembly and a powerful politician from the South West in 2015. It is the same policemen that are being transferred now. We knew this because their transfer letters bore their former ranks under the former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.”

The Nigerian Police Force has been in the news lately for different reasons that include exchange of defence by incumbent IG to ex-IG and promotion of top officers.