The Nigeria Police Force has pushed back against claims made by popular skit maker Local Man, who alleged that officers attached to the Akwa Ibom Government House were being mistreated and that a deceased officer's family had been shortchanged on their benefits.
A police spokesperson identified as Mr Azare dismissed the allegations, standing firm that the claims do not reflect the true situation on the ground. Local Man, for his part, is not backing down. The content creator insists that officers from Akwa Ibom state are being subjected to discriminatory treatment.
At the center of the dispute is a reported N10 million donation from Governor Umo Eno to the family of the deceased officer, a gesture that has done little to quiet the controversy. Whether that sum reached the family as intended, and under what conditions, remains the core of the back-and-forth between both sides.
With a skit maker's platform and a police spokesman's denial now pulling public attention in opposite directions, the question of how the state treats its officers and their families is not going away quietly.
Originally published by Premium Times.