The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to probe alleged deductions in the salary of some police officers running into billions of naira.
While moving a motion, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (PDP, Cross River) said available records showed that there is a massive deductions of up to 50 per cent in the salary of policemen.
The House observed that the practice has been going on for some years now as policemen cannot say with exactitude their actual take-home pay monthly.
The House the resolved that an ad-hoc committee would investigate the matter and report back within four weeks.
Jarigbe, in his motion said, “For so many years now, no officer could say with all certainty how much he earns every month as salary because their salaries are paid in piecemeal with massive deductions, which is as much as 50% of the actual salary.”
He stated that for over three months now, some police officers have not received their salaries and that the only official explanation given by the police authorities was that the fault was from operators of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.
“For instance, a state commissioner of police who allegedly received N40,000 as salary a few months ago was upon enquiry told by the Police authorities that he should refer to IPPIS office in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation,” he said.
In addition, he said, men of the Nigerian Police are “demeaned, neglected and rejected because they have no union to enable them cry with one voice to agitate for a better condition of work.
“The condition of service is deplorable, unattractive and non-conducive to productive enterprise, as on several occasions, policemen lose their lives to vicious and daring criminals who descend on innocent citizens across the country.”
He said if corruption in the Nigerian Police Force will be eradicated, urgent steps must be taken to stop the indiscriminate and illegal deductions of police salaries.
