Police Barracks: Cesspits of filth

By OKOSUN DENNIS

THE stench oozing out from their congested bathrooms and surrounding gutters with clogged drains was nauseating. The two- storey apartment is so dirty it can make you throw up.

An epidemic is a danger in waiting in most of the police barracks in Nigeria.

At the police barracks located in Obalende , Ijeh, Bar Beach Police barracks, Falomo Police Barracks, MOPOL 22 and 23 Police barracks located at Keffi road, South West Ikoyi, MOPOL 20 barracks, Ikeja, close to the Lagos state police command headquarters, Ikeja police barracks where Area “F” is domiciled, dirt is king. Some section of Ikeja Police Training College barracks is not left out of the rot, Esijie Police barracks located along 2nd Circular road in Benin City and a few others police barracks scattered across the state do not speak good of a place where law enforcement officers of a nation are kept.

National Daily’s investigation revealed that over the years, the police authorities have not paid much attention to the renovation or face lifting of the barracks with about 95% of the bungalows in deplorable state. The barracks lack good water supply as most police personnel buy water for their domestic use.

At the Ijeh barracks, Ikoyi, the only source of water supply comes from a borehole built by Ministry of Urban Development. In Block 4, a two-storey self-contained apartment, the toilet, bathrooms are simply an apology. Our reporter attempted to use one of the toilets upstairs, but due to the padlock in all the zinc constructed doors, could not enter. However, the offensive odour wasn’t pleasant.

It was discovered that the bathroom section consists of about four to six small rooms, with most of them having wooden doors. Besides, some have given way and where any wooden door existed at all, the underneath have been eaten up by soaped water. More worrisome are the iron railings on the staircase which have been pulled off; making one to wonder the safety of people especially children living in those blocks.

In each of the building, it was discovered, not less than 30 policemen reside in one block of flats. However, only between 12 to18 bathrooms serve them, their family members and relatives that live with them. In the bungalows that dot the barracks, they are in deplorable mess and a cesspool of dirt and filthiness.

The buildings, it was learnt were built many years ago, are dishevelled making it almost impossible for air to percolates and uninhabitable for a discerning mind.

Unfortunately, none of those building seems to have had any form of renovation in the last 15 years. Speaking anonymously, a resident who claimed to be staying with his brother painted a gloomy picture of hopelessness and despondence about the attitude of the police authority towards the welfare of officers and their living quarters.

About Ijeh barracks where he has lived for many years, he said: “I have been living here with my brother for a long time. No renovation had taken place here. Even when one of the blocks got consumed by fire and all the officers lost their properties, nobody cared for them. How does one become effective at crime fighting when he doesn’t have a decent home to live after his duty? He asked rhetorically.

At the women’s police barracks by the St. Gregory College, Obalende betrays what women are generally known for and exemplify. Traditionally, women are known to be hygienically orientated, conscious of their environment because of their vulnerability and sensitivity.

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Unfortunately, at the Women police barracks, it is a huge disappointment as most part is as dirty as other barracks. This, of course gave the opportunity to ask question: Is dirtiness associated with the police? If the police authorities are not doing anything to assist, does the law also stop its personnel from giving priority attention to their hygiene and environmental health?

Perhaps, the decision of the wife of the Inspector General of Police, Princes Asmau Ndayako Idris, to enunciate sanitation exercise in all police commands across the country a couple of weeks ago seems to be part of the cosmetic measures to compel police personnel to embrace good moral hygiene.

It was gathered that the continued deterioration of the sanitation conditions in the barracks compelled the National President of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) to initiate such measures with a view to making the living quarters habitable.

Mrs Idris also observed that sanitation in the Police Barracks has been dormant over the years hence on 8th December, 2016 kick started nationwide Barracks Environmental Sanitation at the Gwagwa Police Barracks, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, with the IGP emphasising the importance of good sanitary condition and pledged police support.

It is so evident that some structures are so dilapidated to the extent that the concrete decking has started pulling off. The irons are visibly revealed due to massive cracks further exposing the pitiable conditions people saddled with the responsibility of crime fighting are exposed to.

A sergeant who lives in one of the barracks was quite emphatic with his summation. The Yobe born officer said, “We have senior officers who come and go but they are only interested in their own welfare and what they call steal. I am only thankful that I have a miniature of accommodation. But do you know that a lot of policemen do not have a place to sleep? Some have made their offices their permanent home or be ready to spend a fortune to rent an apartment,” he reiterated.

Some years ago, at Elere barracks in Agege, the stair case got detached and collapsed. As the present state of dilapidation seem, there is the need to urgently arrest the situation and save the facilities from further deterioration and collapse.

More than before his predecessor, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris deserves to do more to save the system from further embarrassment occasioning from worsening conditions of Nigerian Police barracks.

Reacting to the deplorable condition of facilities in the barracks, the former Commissioner of Police in Lagos state, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav told National Daily that the Federal government that owns, funds and runs the Police should be blamed for not providing enough funds to rehabilitate Police Barracks nationwide.

He pointed out that as a matter of urgency, the Federal government should release enough money for “the rehabilitation of these centres of rot and epidemic called Police Barracks.”

Tsav added that the barracks have been so dilapidated and dirty to the extent that the reasoning faculty of average policeman have been affected hence “Our Police are not humane because they live in dirty and rough environment. The situation is an eye saw and shameful,” Alhaji Tsav reiterated.

Also, Rotimi Aromolaran, a Security and Safety analyst is of the view that police barracks need urgent attention by the relevant authorities. Corroborating Tsav position, he noted that the “buildings are so dilapidated in a decayed environment that make the condition of the police pitiable. The deplorable condition in Nigeria police barracks is very offensive to humanity and very unpleasant,” he observed.

Adding that a disgusting, dirty environment is a veritable visa to short life, called on the Inspector General of Police to activate a monitoring team and get the entire police barracks a befitting atmosphere to live.

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However, Aromolaran heaped blame on the authority in charge, especially the Nigeria Police Housing Scheme under the Finance and Administration Department of the NPF who enunciated most housing initiatives scheme; develop them through private partnership and police cooperative society; adding that the department should rise up and properly monitor barracks with a view to ensuring enforcement of environmental discipline.

Explaining to our reporter on what can be done, he added that apart from effective monitoring team set up, the government should “immediately declare a state of emergency on the police barracks”. He should make budgetary allocation to build more barracks, renovate existing ones with a view to decongesting the barracks for better crime fighting and good living conditions for the officers.