The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to issue employment letters and pay four years of salary arrears to over 22,000 police constabularies across the country.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Rakiya Haastrup mandated that each constabulary be paid a monthly allowance of ₦54,566, retroactively from January 2021 to May 2024.
The ruling follows a suit filed by Senastine Hon (SAN) on behalf of the constabularies, who had been trained, equipped, and deployed for community policing duties but were denied monthly stipends.
The plaintiffs argued that their engagement was not voluntary, contrary to police claims, and presented evidence of an agreement promising payments equivalent to a constable’s basic allowance in the Nigeria Police Force.
Justice Haastrup ruled that the constabularies had established a contractual employment relationship with the police.
She emphasised their entitlement to stipends and ordered the IGP to determine and formalise their allowances within two months.
The court further directed that employment letters and certificates of engagement be issued to the constabularies, acknowledging their lawful deployment across the federation.
Highlighting the risks faced by the constabularies, it was noted that seven of them had died during their service.
In response, Hon urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure compliance with the judgment, underscoring the significant contributions of the constabularies to national security.
