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A cross section of police officers serving within the ongoing 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in Cameroon have lamented that their superiors are pocketing overtime wages and other benefits due them.
Those who opened up to Mimi Mefo Info on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization by hierarchy say they have been working overtime to restore law and order but benefits allocated to them by the state are being diverted into the pockets of superiors.
One of them said the situation is worst for security officers working in the nation’s capital Yaounde.
“We are experiencing many challenges. We are not satisfied. Our hierarchy gives us money but some senior officers slash it and give us peanuts. At times, we don’t even see the money,” a Yaounde-based police officer lamented.
The same officer detailed that, all the four central police stations in the capital city are deciding what to pay their officers. Such decisions our source said are not in line with what the state has allocated to officers ensuring order and security during the ongoing tournament.
“… We are working day and night. The money CAF has sent to them to give us, they still cut it. You will see a police inspector in Yaounde that has signed out 20,000 FCFA and another, 14,000 FCFA or 16,000 FCFA. The amounts vary though it is not supposed to be that way,” the officer lamented.
“This,” he stated, “… means each boss takes and decides what to give to their elements”.
Scenario Not New
Stories of superior officers exploiting subordinates or sometimes outrightly depriving them of their benefits are not new in Cameroon.
A Police Inspector remarked that:”It is foul play that has been going on and now they are exaggerating. At times you work and they take what they ought to give you and keep for themselves because they know you cannot do or say anything…”.
A similar concern of exploitation has been echoed multiple times by security forces in different parts of the country. The are eve reports of officers opening fire on their supervisors owing to alleged embezzlement of their mission benefits.
Another police officer serving in Buea in the troubled South West Region, another officer said they have continued to experience improper treatment from their superiors.
“For more than five years, we did not receive uniforms. The AFCON money that Yaoundé sent, our Regional Delegate in Charge of Public Security just decided on his own and divided the money into two…” he stated.
Going by the said officer, these practices by their hierarchy dampen the spirit of the forces on the ground, and to an extent, contributes to prolong the armed conflict.
“…the big people in charge of security are only making money and we the elements are suffering and that is why some are not doing their job professionally…” he added.
The Cameroonian police force it should be recalled, has been on the spotlight for all the wrong reasons over the past years.
From extortion to torture, arbitrary arrests, detention, and other human rights violations, the list is endless. In most cases, these acts of theirs have been caught on camera, but no punishments meted out. Despite multiple call outs and protests, authorities have done little or nothing to restore order and discipline to the corps.
In recent times, the Delegate General for National Security in Cameroon, Martin Mbarga Nguelle has been seen taken some rare actions to sanction some officers.
But the police boss is yet to react to allegations of the massive siphoning of benefits meant for elements ensuring order in the ongoing AFCON tournament.
Attempts made by Mimi Mefo Info to get police authorities comment on the complaints from some elements were fruitless.
