ABUJA/News Investigators/ Wives of the Nigerian Police Special Force have barricaded the Abuja-Kaduna highway over alleged poor welfare package for their husbands, causing serious traffic jam on the busy highway.
Many inter-state travellers were on Tuesday stranded for more than three hours at the Zuma Rock village near Suleja in Niger State where the incident occurred.
It took the intervention of the second in command to the Area Commander, Nigeria Police Force in Suleja, Chief Superintendent of Police, Onah Reuben to disperse the protesters as stranded commuters watched helplessly.
Mr. Reuben arrived at the scene with his men and addressed the protesting women on ways to resolve the impasse.
“You are fighting for us, your husbands. Your messages have gone out to the Police authorities and government will do something about it.
“Identify your leaders so that we can discuss on how we can go further to resolve the issues you have raised.”
Mr. Reuben then proceeded into the Zuma Rock estate residence of the Policemen and their families and held a meeting with leaders of the protesting women.
Earlier, the women alleged that the Police authorities cared less about the welfare of their husbands and their dependants and prayed the Inspector-General of Police to demobilise them to their previous bases.
“Before our husbands were recruited into the Special Force, they were Mobile Policemen.
“Four of them were drawn from each cauldron of the 36 States of the federation for the 2019 Presidential election, which were later converted to Nigeria Police Special Force.
“They were to be trained outside the country for their special operation, but somebody changed everything; that in order to reduce cost, they should be trained here in Nigeria.
“But since last year, nothing has been done, yet they have always been sent on operations.”
The protesting women said they were angry about the poor welfare package received by their husbands from their employers.
“From January till now, we’ve lost count of the number of our husbands that we have been buried.
“We are young women who have become widows; our children are fatherless. Some of us are pregnant and others have little children.
“We are tired of these suffering here; we want the I-G to demobilise our husbands,” their leader who declined to give her name said.
