THAT LAURETTA ONOCHIE TWEET ON CORRUPTION IN POLICE

I was perplexed when I came across a tweet posted by, guess who, Lauretta Onochie, a Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari. Talking on Police on special duties in Delta State who are not paid their due duty tour allowances, even the most acidic critique of the government could not have been so harsh and unsparing of a critical security agency such as the Police Force.

Hear her: “If Police Officers, who are poorly paid are also not paid their allowances, families of those they parade daily on Television, would give them more than the “allowances” the Police failed to pay them. Consequently, the alleged criminals go free and justice rarely served. 

It’s unacceptable not to pay Police Officers or anyone for that matter, their Duty Tour Allowances. I believe corruption is in the centre of this. Let’s kill corruption and truly make the Police our friend”. 

One will think that Lauretta is a member of the opposition political party and not an APC member with a portfolio of a Special Adviser to the President. Is the remark of this otherwise vociferous defender of Muhammadu Buhari indicative of existence of cracks in the house? Was she in deep slumber when she spurted out those hostile views about the police? Whatever, something somewhere is clearly amiss with the sum not therefore adding up.

Otherwise, one would have expected Madam Onochie to defend the Police on the ground of an agency suffering grossly inadequate funding which may have hampered its ability to meet such responsibilities of paying Duty Tour Allowances. Also, is the presidential adviser telling us that the lack of Duty Tour Allowances should prevent deployment of personnel to flash points of crimes or breakdown of law and order?

Lauretta Onochie more than the majority of citizens should be aware of the institutional constraint the Police Force have been facing over the past decades as well as the present commendable strides recorded in turning the situation around. She should also be one of those celebrating the efforts being made by the House of Representatives to boost funding of the beleaguered institution.