Crisis Brews In MOPOL Unit As Police Commanders Pocket Officers' Allowances, Demand ₦70,000 Monthly Kickback

The operatives, currently deployed on high-risk special duties to protect critical oil and gas assets, are now appealing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, and the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of MOPOL to urgently intervene before the situation deteriorates into an internal security crisis.

Officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force Mobile Personnel (MOPOL) and Operations units attached to TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited (formerly Total E&P) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have cried out over alleged systemic extortion, massive kickback schemes, and dehumanising treatment perpetrated by their Commanding Officers (COs).

The operatives, currently deployed on high-risk special duties to protect critical oil and gas assets, are now appealing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, and the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of MOPOL to urgently intervene before the situation deteriorates into an internal security crisis.

Insider sources and victims of the ongoing extortion racket, who spoke exclusively with SaharaReporters on Monday, revealed that the commanders of the six police squadrons attached to the multinational oil giant have mandated a compulsory ₦70,000 monthly "returns" (kickback) from each operative's newly upgraded allowance.

According to the affected mobile policemen, they had endured meager allowances for several years until the management of TotalEnergies agreed to review and increase their monthly special duty stipends.

"God answered our prayers last month ending when the management promised to add money to our allowance," one of the victims told SaharaReporters. "Surprisingly, on Friday last week, the management paid us ₦220,000 as the long-awaited allowance."

However, the joy of the operatives was short-lived. Immediately after the funds were disbursed, the six Commanding Officers across the various squadrons operating within the company allegedly ordered their Special Duty Administrators to deduct or collect a flat rate of ₦70,000 from every single personnel as a monthly "return" to the commanders' offices.

The officers revealed that they were issued an ultimatum: pay the ₦70,000 bribe or face immediate, punitive removal from the multinational deployment.

"We have paid it under duress, but we are calling on the Inspector General of Police to do something about it because we have families to take care of just like these COs," an officer lamented.

The aggrieved personnel made a startling revelation, accusing the six Commanding Officers of illegally bloating TotalEnergies' security payroll. They alleged that the names of all six COs are included on the monthly payment lists, meaning the top commanders pocket the field allowances alongside the rank-and-file, despite not performing any field duties—a practice they claim the multinational company is entirely unaware of.

Furthermore, the operatives painted a grim picture of their welfare package, describing their living conditions on site as deplorable compared to the company’s internal security staff.

"We take care of our own health treatment, there is no overtime allowance, and no provisions to nourish ourselves," a source stated. He added bitterly, "The food we receive from them... it is even better they don’t give us at all, because it is worse than dog food."

The personnel are demanding the immediate redeployment and replacement of all six Commanding Officers currently overseeing the TotalEnergies special duty operations.

While crying out over their plight at TotalEnergies, the personnel revealed that their colleagues deployed to guard various Chinese firms across Nigeria are facing even more vicious financial exploitation by police authorities.

According to insider accounts, Chinese companies pay an estimated ₦270,000 per officer every month directly to the police command structures. However, the administrative offices allegedly starve the field officers, paying them a paltry ₦50,000 just once every two months. "What a wicked world," one of the officers exclaimed.

The officers hope that by bringing this systemic rot to the attention of the IGP, a sweeping clean-up of the MOPOL special duty deployment system will be initiated to stop commanders from feeding fat on the sweat and danger faced by frontline personnel.

Meanwhile efforts by SaharaReporters to speak with the Force Headquarters were unsuccessful as the Force Police Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, could not be reached telephone as his number was not reachable. Subsequent text message seeking his reaction to the development hasn't responded to as at the time of filing this report.