Rivers state police command imposes N30,000 ‘administrative charge’ on persons seeking police protection

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu

By our reporter

The Rivers state police command has been accused of imposing N30,000 monthly “administrative charge” on individuals and companies seeking special protection from the police.

The N30,000 is to be paid by individuals and corporate organisations to the police command for each police officer deployed on special protection duty.

Sources who are conversant with the charges imposed by the police command said that with the new administrative charge, individuals and businesses will pay about N75,000 to N80,000 a month to keep one police officer.

This will comprise N30,000 ‘administrative charge’, and N50,000 special allowance payable to the policeman deployed for the special protection duty.

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The Dune learnt that before the recent review, the Rivers state police command used to charge about N25,000, as administrative charge.

Mustapha Dandaura, Commissioner of Police, Rivers State.

Our source who did not want to be named said the review of the administrative charge which was announced at a meeting on Wednesday 5th February, has sparked uproar among those who procure police protection.

“The new rule seeks to force persons and companies using police officers for special protection to pay N30,000, in administrative charge per policeman, to the station.”

“This did not go down well with those who require police protection. And some of us had told them at the meeting we had on Wednesday which we were told was at the instance of the Deputy Commissioner of Police operations, Abubakar Adamu, represented by the ASP, Alhaji Yusuf, that the review is outrageous.”

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Our source alleged that the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Yusuf said at the meeting that the review of the administrative charge was the instruction of the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations (DC Ops), Abubakar Adamu.

Adamu could not be reached on Thursday for comment. He did not pick his phone calls, returned our calls nor responded to SMS sent to him which sought him to explain the rationale for the N30,000 administrative charge

The Dune gathered that some senior police officers in the command have frowned at the new administrative charge.

A senior police officer at the police command in Port Harcourt who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Dune said “the charge is tantamount to commercialisation of the police.”

When contacted on phone, the Rivers state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omini, said he was not aware of the administrative charge.

“I am not aware please”, Omini replied via SMS.