‘Our Children Are Out of School’: Katsina Security Guards Protest Months of Unpaid Salaries

Tension flared at the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) office in Katsina on Monday as civil security personnel deployed to the facility staged a peaceful protest over months of unpaid salaries, lamenting that the prolonged delay has pushed many of them and their families into severe hardship.

The protesters, employed by KAASAQA Global Security Limited, carried placards demanding the immediate payment of their salary arrears and urging relevant authorities to intervene in what they described as a worsening welfare crisis.

The workers alleged that they had gone between three and five months without receiving salaries, a situation they said had left many unable to meet basic family needs, including feeding and payment of school fees.

One of the protesters, Abdul Muazu, said he was employed on a monthly salary of N80,000 but had not been paid for about four months.

According to him, the non-payment of wages has forced him to rely on loans to support his household, while his children have been withdrawn from school because he can no longer afford their tuition.

“I was employed with a monthly salary of N80,000, but I have not been paid for about three to four months. I now borrow money just to feed my family, and my children have dropped out of school because I cannot pay their fees,” Muazu said.

Muazu, who disclosed that he worked as a blacksmith before taking up the security job, claimed that delayed salary payments had become a recurring challenge and had worsened over the last two years under the current contractor.

“We spend day and night protecting government property, yet we are left without salaries. Many of us have resorted to making excuses to our families because we do not know when the next payment will come,” he added.

Another protester, Abubakar Abdulaziz, raised concerns about the workers’ employment status, alleging that many of them had yet to receive formal appointment letters despite years of service.

“We work under KAASAQA Global Security Limited, but our appointments have not been confirmed. At this point, many of us do not even know who we are truly working for,” he said.

Abdulaziz claimed that some personnel had gone as long as five months without pay, adding that salary payments were often irregular whenever workers complained.

“Sometimes they pay one month and skip another. We were not paid before the last Sallah celebration, and some workers have gone for up to five months without receiving salaries,” he alleged.

He further claimed that efforts to seek clarification from relevant officials had yielded little result, while uncertainty remained over the company’s continued engagement at the facility.

The protesters said the situation had taken a heavy toll on their families, with many struggling to pay school fees, settle debts and provide food at home.

Appealing for urgent intervention, the workers called on government authorities and the management of KAASAQA Global Security Limited to address their grievances and settle all outstanding salary arrears.

Attempts to obtain comments from officials of KAASAQA Global Security Limited and the Nigeria Revenue Service were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.