The Kwara State Police Command has dismissed a viral video circulating on Facebook regarding a protest by some purported policemen over alleged non-payment of one year salary.
The State Commissioner of Police, Tuesday Assayomo, has reacted to the development in a statement on Saturday.
In the statement issued by the command Spokesman, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, in Ilorin, Assayomo said the police was not owing the salary of any conventional policeman or allowance of the special constabulary shown in the video.
He said: “It is important to state that the concept of community policing and recruitment of special constabulary is voluntary in nature, meaning they are not on monthly renumeration like the conventional policemen.
“This much the constabulary were briefed before taking up the job, besides, the job is not full time job.”
Assayomo explained that the constabularies only receive allowances paid by the state government.
He added: “Due to the complaints of the constabulary regarding non-payment of stipends by the state government, they were invited today for a meeting by the state government on ways by which their complains could be looked into.
“It was surprising that the same set of constabulary after the meeting with agents of the state government could go online with a video claiming that the government was owing them salaries for a year.
“Therefore, members of the public are advised to disregard the viral video as it was designed to embarrass the police and also to draw an undue sympathy from the public.”
Assayomo said the special constabularies are at liberty to honourably disengage from the service if they so wish.