Police Officers serving in Rivers State say they take care of their medical bills whenever they are injured while on duty.
Some Policemen who confided in TPCN and pleaded for their names not to be mentioned said many policemen have died due to the inability of the police command to take care of them whenever they sustain bullet injuries. They also described the situation as horrible, saying the practice makes policemen afraid of giving their best in the face of mounting danger.
According to them, when a rank and file police officer is injured on duty, the injured officer bears the burden of treating himself as the police command does not contribute a dime to the treatment of the said office.
“See, the problem is that Nigerian police is too rotten. The corruption in the force is too much. This is why policemen behave the way they do. When you are injured on duty, you treat yourself. The police do not contribute a dime towards your treatment. It is that bad. They don’t even buy paracetamol for you. If you die, no one cares”
When TPCN enquired to know whether the Police hospital at Moscow road provides free medical care to officers and their families, another officer told TPCN that the police hospital at Moscow road does not have drugs to take care of urgent medical issues. Worst still is that when they go to the police hospital, they pay for everything including bandages.
He said ” The police hospital does not treat you free as a policeman. They do not even offer subsidized medical care to officers and their families. You pay for everything including paracetamol and bandages. Nothing is free there as long as I am concerned. I have been admitted there before and I paid for everything”
“It is not a Rivers State thing. It is a national thing but the situation in Rivers State is horrible, to say the least. They strip you of all dignity and turn you to a beggar”
Asked why he feels the police do not take care of their men, he said: “It is the corruption that we are talking about. Nigerian police high command has made that so”
Another officer who sought anonymity told TPCN that their salaries are irregular due to many unexplained deductions from the police command.
He said: This month, they might deduct 8 000 Naira, next month, they will deduct 10 000. Nobody has explained to us why these deductions are made and for what purpose. Imagine a man like me with 5 children earning less than 80 000 Naira every month yet unrealistic deductions are being made from the same money”
TPCN sought comments from the Public Relations Officers of the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, who said that he is not authorised to speak on the matter.
