As officers confront armed groups and deadly ambushes, allegations of unpaid operational allowances raise urgent questions about police welfare, government accountability and the funding of Nigeria’s security operations.
Nigerian police officers deployed to some of Benue State’s most dangerous communities say they are battling two threats at once: armed attacks on the front line and financial hardship within the system responsible for supporting them.
In a report published on October 23, 2026, SaharaReporters quoted officers serving with the 45 Police Mobile Force (PMF) and more than 11 other squadrons who alleged that their operational allowances had gone unpaid for months. Some reportedly faced arrears of three to five months.
“We’re dying from bullets and hardship at the same time,” one officer said, speaking anonymously because of fears of victimisation.
The officers said they had been deployed to areas including Logo, Ukum and Kwande local government areas, where armed attacks and communal violence continue to threaten residents and security personnel. They alleged that they had been left without the financial support they expected while carrying out dangerous assignments. <Cite refs={["turn477191search0","turn477191search1"]}/>
The allegations have not been independently confirmed through official payment records, and the precise responsibility for the disputed allowances remains unclear. But the complaint deserves a serious response from the authorities.
A dangerous assignment, an unanswered complaint
One officer attached to the 45 PMF said his unit arrived in Benue from Abuja on January 28, 2026. He alleged that four months of operational allowances remained unpaid.
The officer also described recent losses among colleagues in Logo Local Government Area, claiming that two personnel had died in an ambush and an Inspector had been killed in a separate attack in the preceding weeks.
Another officer said the problem extended beyond the 45 PMF to other squadrons operating in volatile communities.
The personnel also described ongoing communal violence in Kwande, including the destruction and burning of houses. They said their duties involved moving through bushland and surrounding communities to pursue armed groups.
These accounts paint a picture of officers expected to sustain operations in difficult conditions while struggling to obtain their reported entitlements.
The allegations do not, by themselves, establish that delayed allowances caused any particular operational failure. Nor do they prove that officers were denied specific equipment or supplies. Those questions require further evidence. Nevertheless, prolonged delays in payments intended to support frontline deployments warrant investigation.
The human cost of insecurity in Benue
The complaint comes against a documented backdrop of deadly attacks.
In September, four police officers and seven civilians were reportedly killed during an attack on Ayilamo in Logo Local Government Area. Four days later, two additional Mobile Police officers were killed in an ambush while escorting the area’s Divisional Police Officer.
The deaths illustrate the risks confronting personnel deployed to violence-affected communities. <Cite refs={["turn695521search3","turn695521search4"]}/>
For residents, effective policing is essential to protecting lives, preventing further attacks and restoring confidence in public institutions. Officers carrying out those duties also need reliable operational arrangements, including appropriate equipment, logistical support and timely payment of legitimate entitlements.
Security operations cannot be sustained by deployment orders alone. They depend on an administrative and financial system capable of supporting the people expected to carry them out.
Who is responsible for the unpaid allowances?
This is one of the most important questions raised by the officers’ complaint.
The personnel reportedly accused the Benue State Government of failing to support them. However, the Nigeria Police Force is a federal institution, and responsibility for a particular operational allowance cannot automatically be assigned to a state government without examining the relevant arrangements.
The Police Act 2020 provides a framework for the Police Force’s funding, including budgetary allocations and contributions that state governments may make. But the existence of state contributions does not establish that a state is responsible for every payment due to federal police personnel.
To determine accountability in this case, authorities should establish which agency was responsible for the specific allowances, whether the payments were approved and funded, and whether any money was released but not received by the officers.
The relevant records should include deployment orders, approved allowance schedules, payment records, funding requests and bank transactions.
Without that documentation, it would be premature to conclude that a particular government or official withheld the money.
A welfare problem the Federal Government has already acknowledged
The allegations emerge as the Federal Government has been reviewing police welfare and allowances.
In August 2026, the Ministry of Police Affairs announced that a ministerial and stakeholders’ committee was examining the Nigeria Police Force’s salary structure, regular and non-regular allowances, insurance, pension-related benefits and other outstanding welfare obligations.
The ministry said the review was intended to improve the welfare of serving and retired personnel and address outstanding entitlements. <Cite refs={["turn695521search0","turn695521search1"]}/>
That review demonstrates official recognition that police welfare arrangements require attention. It does not, however, confirm that the specific allowances allegedly owed to officers in Benue were included in the review or that any outstanding payments have been resolved.
The authorities should therefore clarify whether the Benue complaint has been formally investigated, how many personnel are affected and what steps are being taken to settle any verified arrears.
Why police welfare is a public safety issue
Police welfare is sometimes treated as an internal administrative matter. In conflict-affected communities, however, it is closely connected to the public’s safety.
Officers working in dangerous locations need confidence that their institution will meet its obligations. Reliable support can help personnel concentrate on their duties rather than struggle with uncertainty over the resources and payments attached to their deployment.
That does not mean every delayed allowance automatically undermines an operation. It means that recurring or prolonged payment problems should not be dismissed as inconsequential, especially when personnel are working under exceptional risks.
The government also owes the public a clear explanation of how security funds are allocated, released and monitored. If money has been approved for a particular purpose, the payment trail should make it possible to determine whether it reached the intended recipients.
Where payments remain outstanding, the responsible authorities should explain why and establish a credible timetable for resolution.
The questions that need answers
The Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs and the Benue State Government should clarify the arrangements behind the reported arrears.
How many officers are affected? Which months remain unpaid? What is the total amount outstanding? Which institution approved the allowances, and which agency was responsible for releasing the money? Were funds appropriated and transferred? If they were, where did the payment process break down?
The police authorities should also explain what safeguards exist to ensure that personnel deployed to high-risk areas receive their approved entitlements on time.
SaharaReporters reported that efforts to obtain comments from police officials were unsuccessful. The allegations therefore remain without a publicly established official explanation in the reporting available at the time. <Cite refs={["turn477191search0","turn477191search3"]}/>
The men on the front line should not be forgotten
The officers’ statement—“We’re dying from bullets and hardship at the same time”—captures the seriousness of their complaint. It should not substitute for an investigation, but neither should it be ignored.
Nigeria needs its security personnel to protect communities against armed violence. It also needs transparent systems to ensure that public money intended for security operations is properly accounted for and that legitimate entitlements are paid.
If the officers’ claims are accurate, the authorities should establish the outstanding amounts, identify the source of the delay and settle verified arrears. If the claims are inaccurate or incomplete, the government should publish a clear account supported by records.
The people of Benue deserve effective protection. The officers sent to provide that protection deserve a system that takes their welfare and entitlements seriously.
A government cannot measure the effectiveness of its security operations solely by the number of personnel it deploys. It must also account for whether those personnel are properly supported, whether public funds reach their intended destination and whether the institutions responsible for protecting citizens fulfil their obligations.
The immediate task is straightforward: verify the claims, trace the money and provide answers. Lives are at stake, and the public should not have to rely on anonymous complaints to understand how its frontline security operations are being funded.
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