Discrimination exists among Buhari’s security details, NOPRIN alleges

The Network on Police Reform in Nigeria has written to the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, alleging discrimination against different sections of the presidential security guard.

The group said a discriminatory practice has left the victims with several months in unpaid salaries and allowances, a crisis it said is capable of causing disharmony amongst personnel.

NOPRIN said Mr. Monguno should “intervene and ensure a just treatment and resolution of the complaints and grumblings among many State House (Presidential Vila) security staff over their suspicion of diversion and consequent non-payment of arrears of their risk caution allowance which was approved by the president for all State House security.”

Mr. Monguno could not be reached for comments.

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, said he had no knowledge of the allegations.

NOPRIN said it received a list detailing the nine different issues the officials raised before writing the petition.

The issues are as follows:

1. 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.

2. That arrears of one year and three months were approved for all the State House Security Staff and payment commenced in October 2016.

3. 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.

4. That, however, while those at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, have been receiving alerts for their paid allowance since October, their counterparts at the Lagos Unit 239, Dodan Barracks, Lagos – 63 in all- are yet to receive any payment.

5. That the office of the NSA is in charge of this fund, and that the affected security staff have made representations to his office without any respite.

6. 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.

7. That however, some of the superior officers who were initially underpaid were later paid their full allowance after they protested, but not the same for junior officers who cannot openly complain.

8. That some of the security staff also complain of being discriminated against by being labelled ‘PDP Police’.

9. That Squadron Commander PMF 24 Villa Abuja, Abdullahi Ibrahim (CSP) has threatened the affected security staff with transfer if they continued to complain.

The group, therefore, demanded an “investigation into the reason behind the apparently dubious and discriminatory payment, underpayment and withholding of allowances meant for the Presidential Vila security staff.”