A Police Barracks’ Huge Burden
‘I slept early that night due to the stressful day I had. Whenever I sleep early like that there is tendency for me not to sleep too deeply anytime from midnight. That is why at times I wake up during such nights. On this particular night I woke up suddenly. It was apparent there was […]
‘I slept early that night due to the stressful day I had. Whenever I sleep early like that there is tendency for me not to sleep too deeply anytime from midnight. That is why at times I wake up during such nights. On this particular night I woke up suddenly. It was apparent there was someone in my room.
The person was trying hard not to awaken me so I snored more deeply so that I would not draw the attention of the robber. My female cousin was in the room with me and she was fast asleep. And I was concerned about her safety since I didn’t know if the burglar was armed. If it had been me maybe I could have acted differently. But I just decided to allow the burglar have his way. At the end of their operation (it was evident that some accomplices were waiting outside the door), they made away with my mobile phones, my bag with some cash in it, some of my electronic gadgets and some of my shoes. It was later I realised that they had forced open the old door which was the only form of protection to my valuables in the room.
What amazed me about the boldness of this action was the fact that these robbers did not fear the fact that the MOPOL 21 office was just directly behind the block of flats I stayed in. It showed the poor state of security in the barracks.’
That was the narrative of Jessica (real name withheld) a police personnel living at the area D section of the Nyanyan Police barracks. She says that occurrences such as the one she narrates are commonplace in the barracks. ‘We take extra measures to secure our belongings here. The greatest error anyone can make as an occupant of these barracks is to feel that since it is police barracks, security is assured. Here you must ‘shine your eyes well well’ or you would regret,’ she adds jocularly. She also says that residents no longer depend on the psycological security induced by being resident a few meters from an armed squadron.
Another resident narrates her experience which bears similarity to Jessica’s own. According to her she was having a bath one hot afternoon and had returned to a shocking find in her room. ‘Virtually all my electronic gadgets had developed wings. I was so surprised that I could not even scream. I had spent barely 5 minutes in the bathroom. That meant someone must have been spying on my movements. It was so shocking to me. Why should something like that happen in the police barracks? But incidents like these are very common and you hardly find culprits to punish.’
A resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity affirms fact that poverty and poor parental upbringing account for such crimes. ‘The fact that it is barracks does not mean crimes would not take place. It just means that as an officer or police personnel you must be extra vigilant at all times and you must not relax your guards. The perpetrators of such crimes in the barracks are mainly the jobless youths residing here. There are so many of them nowadays. Take a stroll through the barracks and you will understand what I am saying. They (the youths) have no work to do. Many of them have finished school and are staying at home doing nothing not as a result of their failings but that of the society.
Their parents are either poorly paid or have retired and have nowhere to go or any further productive ventures to engage in. So what do you expect them to do except engage in crimes since their parents cannot adequately take care of their basic needs not to talk of giving them monthly stipends. Many of them can even be seen engaging in vices openly so they really have no fear engaging in nocturnal crimes. No sane civilian or outsider would break into any apartment in the barracks except there is something else that does not meet the eye. So the perpetrators can only be those living here. But it is not every young person you meet here is necessarily a bad person. There are many others who are well trained by their parents and who cannot be found taking part in such crimes.’
Crime no doubt blossoms in the barracks due to the structural nature of the barracks. The apartments, many in decrepit conditions run one into another with rapidity. Most of them are the ‘face me I face you’ type where privacy is zero or minimal. There is little or no formal security apparatus in place, say like residents checking the menace of ‘outside’ hoodlums or internal threats.
A greater challenge: filth
Piles of refuse can be seen in many parts of the barracks. The gutters are overflowing with mountains of refuse. Not many meters away from the entrance to the Squadron 21, a few spirited attempts are made by some concerned residents to burn a growing heap of garbage. But their frantic efforts may be a drop in an ocean. Refuse appears to have taken a pride of place in these grounds. All the areas which are interestingly demarcated alphabetically are not spared from this surge of filth. A group of barracks children occasionally tossed a wrinkled ball to one another in the distance. Surrounding their tiny feet are oozing piles of dirt comprising various used household items and decaying food.
A female resident enthuses that it has reached a stage when such things don’t matter anymore. The filth in many parts of the barracks has become a common feature for many residents she says dismally. ‘Even when you try to be clean on your own part, your efforts are really not noticeable since virtually all the household does not share the same thoughts like you. What most of these women (female staff and wives) do nowadays is to simply dump garbage in the gutters. They make no efforts to dispose of it properly. When it rains, it makes a mess of everything. You can see the gutters. That is just a tip of the iceberg. Go around the barracks and you will be appalled at what you will see. The state of cleanliness in the barracks is something which if care is not taken may lead to a serious health challenge to us. What never ceases to amaze one is the fact that no one seems to care,’ she notes with a shake of the head.
In the barracks no provision seems to have been consciously taken for the evacuation of refuse. The lack of a good drainage system also seems to have thrown spanners into the works of efforts by a few ‘wise’ occupants to dispose of their filth via the gutter. That has led to the clogging of the gutters in most of the blocks. In some parts the stench emanating from such gutters has reached a nauseating level. What petrifies one is the nonchallance displayed by residents as many can be seen vaulting over the piles of refuse and reeking gutters.
Archaic edifices in modern times
The blocks have something else in common: dilapidated structures reeling under the immense pressure of fitting into modernity. Apparently the level of success of this ill venture is nil. Many of the buildings no doubt have seen better times. For a barracks believed to have been constructed decades ago, the urgent need for repairs seems to be a source of worry for many of the residents. The authorities are obviously unaware of this or have decided to look the other way. Some of the buildings are tattered or have broken roofs for covers. Others still have windows that have ceased to serve their purpose as they give free entrance to the elements. Numerous cracks and openings appear in many of the buildings with the paint work of virtually all the buildings in desperate need for renewal. The small block of flats residents say was built about 3 years ago as a form of ‘rehabilitation’ are not better off as the ravages of time have obviously taken over more speedily perhaps due to the low quality of the project.
Understandably residents would not speak to the press. Only on the condition of anonymity will some venture to provide information. But the mood appears to be common amongst those living in the barracks. And that is the immediate rehabilitation of the barracks. ‘A few of these structures even need to be pulled down and others built in their stead. It does not speak well of the police if their officers and men are living in such deplorable conditions,’ a resident complains.
Federal Capital Territory, FCT police spokesperson, CSP Jimoh Moshood however believes that the Nigeria Police is only facing common challenges that beset most government establishments. He is quick to add that the Force would soon overcome all the infrastructural and related problems facing the numerous barracks across Abuja and environs. He also notes that police barracks are not typically unkempt and dirty as insinuated by many including the press. ‘Police barracks are not unkempt as being brandied about. Police personnel and their families are living in these quarters and they take care of them. The police works department also carries out periodic cleaning exercises and reconstruction in all barracks. They take charge of the maintenance of police barracks across the city. Moreover some of the buildings that are ageing are being renovated and renewed,’ he says. He adds that the era of dilapidation may soon be over. ‘The police reform agenda being implemented nationwide is gradually taking effect. It would take care of not only the Nyanyan barracks you are talking about but other police barracks in Abuja and beyond in order to make them comfortable and conducive for the officers and men of the Nigeria Police and their families.’
The Nyanyan barracks appears to be the most visibly affected by dilapidation and inherent challenges investigations reveal. Other barracks across the capital city such as the Garki, City gate, Gwagwa, Kuje and Area 11 are in much better conditions also not actually in the expected although state. A source says that many police personnel strive spiritedly to get accommodation in such barracks leading at times to the forming of cartels in barracks accommodation process in the police
An insidious accommodation racket
Due to the insufficient the accommodation for police men and their families in the city, some of them have urged the authorities to look into the whole process of allocation holistically with the aim of weeding out sharp practices in the scheme. According to these people, some police staff are actually staying ‘illegally’ in the barracks while those who deserve to be there are denied the opportunity. A reliable source notes that some occupants stay in the barracks and still go ahead to collect the official monthly stipend given by the authorities to offset rent expenditure of its personnel. Provisions of specific financial allowances are made for accommodation of officers and men which is given instalment ally or as a whole at times to the staff. But a few fraudulent officers after being allocated living quarters in the barracks still go ahead and collect the stipend which is illegal. ‘Even the process of its allocation is flawed as only those with ‘connections’ get these barracks accommodation. When they are retiring, they simply ‘sell’ the information that they are leaving the quarters to another police family who then applies for the place. So unless you are aware that a family is leaving you cannot get a place in the barracks. At times some police personnel collect money from two or even three applicants who then start to battle to claim the place when the family leaves. It is even disheartening to know that many policemen that have retired from active service and their families are still residing in the barracks even after collecting their retirement benefits. Those that are meant to benefit from such accommodation are left homeless…’
A money spinner yet no fruits
Recently on a short visit to the Garki Police formation, minister of police affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade concernedly observed the deplorable state of facilities at most of the barracks and police formations in the country. He promised that massive funds would be deployed in the 2012 budget to take care of some of the challenges facing the police especially in the area of accommodation and welfare. But the question on the lips of many sceptics appears to be: despite the huge funds equally budgeted for the tackling of these challenges in the 2011fiscal year, is there really any cause to hope for the transformation of Nigeria Police barracks and its innumerable uniformed occupants?