A series of Punch Metro investigations have revealed that the affected police officers are confused and depressed by the eviction notices they have recieved.
Pius Imue, commissioner of police for the Railway Police Command in Lagos state, has explained that those to be evicted are retired officers, civilians living in the barracks and the officers serving outside Lagos.
However, the police officers are still very much worried over their fates, because those still serving under Lagos state, just not with the Lagos State Railway Police Command, got the eviction notifications as well.
Upon visitng some of the barracks in question, The Punch correspondent documented some of the questions the police officers had for their authorities.
“How can the police tell us to quit? Is it fair? Are we not policemen serving in Lagos state?” residents queried. “Where do they expect us to go with our wives and children? What kind of country is this? Is this the best way to treat your people who devote their lives to the service of this country? What is the meaning of that?”
Moreover, there are no civiliansliving in the barracks, the policemen said, as it is impossible for a civilian to get an allocation.
“The commissioner gave those reasons to divert attention from the real issue,” the aggrieved policemen say. “What we know is that he wants us to leave so they could re-allocate the apartments to the policemen that are serving with the Railway Command at the moment. Police is one and a policeman should be able to live in any police barracks in the state. I just hope that this won’t set a bad precedent, which might cause a division within the police in the nearest future.”
The barracks desperately need renovation. The only source of water in the Jericho barracks, for instance, is a broken pipe. The buildings are untidy and unkempt. Still, the policemen are reluctant to lose this place of accomodation and say some had to pay up to N200,000 in bribes to secure their place.
The affected policemen say they have to cope with enough work problems apart from the nearing eviction. One The Punch interviewees says he has been promoted to the rank of an inspector and expected an “upgrade” of his salary and place of residence, but got an eviction notice instead.
“Anytime I remember what might happen, I feel sad, because this is the same police that when you join, the only thing you won’t buy is gun. I bought all my kits with my own money, I use my money to carry out repair works in my apartment, despite the N10,000 that is being deducted from my salary every month, and other things.
“Most of us live from hands to mouth and we have families to feed. There is no way I can raise money to relocate now. There is no peace of mind, and that is why sometimes you hear that policemen shoot or harass fellow citizens. I’m not saying it’s good, but we don’t have rest of mind. The Nigeria Police is fraught with challenges.
“On that September 30, they might have to throw my things away because I don’t have anywhere to go and I don’t even have money to rent a house,” the aggrieved police inspector said.
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