Officials of the River Neighbourhood Watch Safety Corps Agency, popularly called “Governor Wike Police” have concluded plans to drag the state government to court over unpaid 17 months’ unpaid salaries.
Director of Operations of the Neighbourhood Watch, Mathew Iheanyi, who disclosed to journalists in Port Harcourt said members have issued 21 days’ ultimatum to the State government to pay their entitlements.
He lamented that several correspondences have been sent to the Governor through appropriate channels of over the issue without positive response.
He lamented that Wike is spending so much funds on national security outfits in the state, while he is underfunding the local security outfits his administration formed backed by an enabling law.
Iheanyi added that it is sad that the government has failed to take issues of welfare and provision of logistics and working tools for operatives of Rivers State Neighborhood Watch Safety Corps Agency serious spite of their contribution to the security of the state.
He said most of the successes and breakthroughs recorded security agencies are as result of intelligence gathering by members of the safety agency.
He also accused local Government Chairmen of using and dumping the operatives after they assisted them to fight illegal bunkering activities in various communities.
Recall that the operatives of the safety agency had taken to the streets of Port Harcourt on Wednesday June 22 to protest the non-payment of their 12 months salaries by the state government. The arrears have risen to 17 months.
The protesting personnel had defied the downpour that day and gathered at the Government House,Port Harcourt.
The protesters, from the 23 local government areas of the state where they were drafted to, first converged at the government house gate and later moved the protest ay the private residence of Wike, at Ada-George Road Port Harcourt.
The operatives officially resumed duties in March 2021 and were deployed across the 23 local government areas in the state to help curb crimes and criminalities.
