The Nation Newspaper

Tag: barracks

  • Barracks for auctioning?

    Barracks for auctioning?

    Age-old wisdom teaches that you do not cut off the head to cure headache. But that would seem what the House of Representatives is proposing as redress to the challenge of dilapidated barracks that have subjected police personnel to deplorable living conditions. The House wants police barracks across the country auctioned and service personnel paid housing allowance to make their own private arrangements.

    The green chamber’s proposal followed adoption of a motion by Rep. Murphy Omoruyi (LP-Edo) during plenary recently. The lawmaker argued that expenditures by government on renovation of barracks had yielded no positive result, and that the imperative of community-oriented policing warrants downloading police personnel from isolated barracks to go live among the civil populace. He recalled that the National Assembly passed the Police Reform Bill 2020 that was signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, with a core issue therein being to address police officers’ living conditions. But the challenge of providing befitting housing for them has persisted, Omoruyi noted, saying between 2019 and 2022, the Federal Government spent more than N5billion on renovating barracks without the wretchedness of the facilities lessening. 

    Besides, he argued that amidst calls for community-oriented policing strategies, “having officers of the Nigeria Police living amongst the general population rather than in their secluded barracks will significantly satisfy these calls and enhance public safety.” The barracks system, according to him, is a relic of colonial rule that has been abandoned by the colonialists themselves. Instead, police personnel should be paid housing allowance based on rank and police salary structure, with which they could go procure accommodation among members of the public.

    Read Also: Learn to leak your wounds, APC counsels Obi

    Adopting the motion, the House urged Interior and Police Affairs ministries to liaise with the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) in assessing the value of all barracks across the country and announcing a public offering for their auction. Among other things, the House also mandated its Appropriation committee to ensure reallocation of funds meant for barracks maintenance across the country to providing befitting housing allowances for service personnel.

    The lawmakers’ proposal would have had a stronger appeal if auctioning police barracks would not be another guise for selling off public property to well-connected deep pockets at relative pittance. And what will happen to esprit de corps among service personnel – an instinctive bonding useful for operational effectiveness and forged through shared space in the barracks, but which would inevitably be attenuated when they diffuse into private corners? Moreover, the lawmakers didn’t take account of existing housing deficit in the polity estimated currently at 28million, and requiring some N21trillion to close. No, sir, auctioning the barracks is not the answer; rather, it is making the money spent on renovations reflect in improved standards.

  • Akiolu to Fed Govt: build barracks at Ishawo

    Akiolu to Fed Govt: build barracks at Ishawo

    Lagos paramount ruler, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, has urged the Federal Government to establish a Police Mobile Force (PMF) and military barracks at Ishawo in Ikorodu and other militant-infested riverine communities in Lagos State.
    Akiolu spoke yesterday when the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) incharge of ICT, Foluso Adebanjo, visited his palace at Iga-Iduganran in Isale-Eko, Lagos Island.
    Supporting the current demolish of shanties by the state government, Akiolu said a PMF and military barracks be established at waterfronts to forestall criminalities.
    He said: “As I sit here, I get intelligence report from across the country. So, tell the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to liaise with other security agencies to establish a mobile base and military base at the Ishawo, Ikorodu axis. And all those shanties in riverine areas around Lagos State should be demolished.
    “Let the full arm of the law be extended to anyone arrested for a crime. Anyone who comes to you and says I asked that someone be released is lying. Tell them the Oba of Lagos is a disciplinarian; I do not condone criminality. Even if it’s my son that’s arrested for committing a crime, he should be arrested and dealt with, as the law prescribes.
    “I have told the government on several occasions to give the police their dues, and they will perform. The crop of officers you are training in all training institutions now; the conditions in which they are doing the trainings are nothing to write home about. “I know what the IGP is experiencing. It didn’t start with him. Any day the government is prepared to have efficient policing, it should give, not only the police but all other security agencies, the logistics required to do the job.
    “Nigerians too must cooperate fully. Security is the responsibility of all Nigerians. The public must assist with useful information.”
    “The Lagos State government is spending huge amount of money on security. The recently introduced Neighbourhood Watch is to complement the police; it is not to rival the police. We are here to monitor them, to ensure that doesn’t happen. Nigerians should be able to acknowledge and appreciate the police for the good job they do.”

  • Jide Kosoko, Mercy Johnson, others depict life in police barracks

    Jide Kosoko, Mercy Johnson, others depict life in police barracks

    With the mischief of two notorious police officers, Austin and Vincent, making viewers to laugh and laugh, new comedy movie, ‘Kondo Game’, features an A-list of cast who have made the film a total package.

    Producer Maryam Harris said the need to create a film at par with Hollywood necessitated the huge investment and quality cast put into the production.

    Played by Francis Odega and Funnybone, the two police officers would later be faced with controversial tasks. With a sloppy boss, Jide Kosoko to contend with, Austin and Vincent are locked in between crime busting and bursting a romantic fling with a voluptuous mistress, played by Cossy Ojiakor, who runs a beer parlour in the neighborhood. Cossy’s exploit heightens the rib-cracking comic adventure.

    Directed by Charles Uwagbai, other actors in the suspense-filled storyline include, Mercy Johnson, Uche Jombo Rodriguez, Mercy Aigbe and Funny Bone.

     

  • Police sergeant dies as dilapidated Barracks building collapses

    Police sergeant dies as dilapidated Barracks building collapses

    A police sergeant and another person lost their lives when a building collapsed at Highway police Barracks in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Christmas Day.

    The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Maganement Agency (LASEMA), Mr Adeshina Tiamiyu confirmed the death.

    Tiamiyu said that the agency had earlier received a distress call on the collapsed building at High Way Police Barracks opposite Area F, Ikeja.

    He said that the toilets and stairways of wing `D’ of the building collapsed at about 4.00a.m.

    Tiamiyu said the agency’s officials in collaboration with men of Lagos State Fire Services, the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recovered the two bodies of the dead men.

    He said one of the corpses was simply identified as Danjuma while the name of the other one was yet to be known.

    “Their bodies had been deposited at the Mainland Hospital Mortuary, Yaba,” Tiamiyu said.

    Tiamiyu also said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, had visited the barracks and ordered the evacuation of residents living in the affected building as well as those in other dilapidated buildings.

    He added that Owoseni also ordered the immediate demolition of the affected block.

    Tiamiyu said LASEMA with other stakeholders had commenced the demolition of the affected building following the directives of the Commissioner of Police. (NAN)

  • Police to commence renovation of barracks

    Police to commence renovation of barracks

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has said that the Force will commence the renovation of barracks across the nation soon.

    He also noted that the renovation will be in order of priority.

    The IGP who was represented by DIG in charge of Logistics and Supply, Maigari Dikko disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday during the flag-off campaign on barracks sanitation with the theme; ‘Our Barracks go Clean, Health is Wealth’.

    He said: “We are embarking on a very aggressive and massive renovation of barracks that is going to be prioritized. I don’t know about the status of this very barracks (Gwagwa) but I am sure this may not be the worst. If we get the list from FCT, we are going to start with the worst ones and from there; we will come down in the order of priority”.

    The IGP while assuring Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) of continuous support that would better the lives of personnel of the Force also suggested that the cleaning exercise be done in all the states and proof in form of video recording of the event be sent to the POWA president.

    Also speaking, the wife of the IGP, Princess Asmau Idris decried the deplorable state of barracks in Nigeria.

    She said: “The practice of sanitation in our police barracks has been dormant in the past years and we are flagging off this event so that our policemen and their families will be in good physical and mental condition thereby boosting their productivity level.

    On the essence of the sanitation, she said: “I wish to draw our attention to the damage done to the image of the Nigeria Police Force by the poor conditions of our barracks with respect to neatness. Our barracks are expected to be centre of excellence and pride of the nation.

    “I know that it is a disciplinary offence in the police if a policeman does not turn out neatly. However, I am not aware of any sanctions of policemen whose environment is dirty. If they were, our barracks would be much neater than they look now.

    She further said: “We intend to carry out inspections in our barracks regularly to ensure adequate cleanliness and I appeal to our women to help sustain this campaign in the interest of all of us in keeping and ensuring that our barracks are kept clean.

    “We want to pass a message to our women and youths in the barracks to imbibe this culture which has been long forgotten. The attitude people have about barrack children is bad, we should learn to change that and let them know that we are disciplinary families and we will ensure tdiscipline in our barracks.

    “Our youths in barracks should help keep our environment clean and abstain from any act that will bring bad image to their families and Nigeria Police in particular”, she added.

  • How army is addressing infrastructural decay in barracks, by Buratai

    How army is addressing infrastructural decay in barracks, by Buratai

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has said the Nigerian Army headquarters had adopted holistic approach in addressing the infrastructural decay in its barracks and other institutions across the country.

    Gen. Buratai spoke at the weekend  in an interview with reporters shortly after inaugurating two newly built blocks of hostels for students of the Nigerian Army School of Artillery in Kachia, Kaduna State.

    He said the infrastructure gap in the barracks were such that required consistent intervention over a period of time for the situation to be improved.

    Buratai said the present Army command under his watch had embarked on massive renovation of existing structures as well as the construction of new buildings to ameliorate the situation in the barracks.

    He said a number of dilapidated structures in barracks spread across the country had been renovated while many others had been earmarked for rehabilitation as soon as possible.

    Gen. Buratai said the situation transcended barracks accommodation, adding that other challenges included lack of access roads, poor water supply as well as poor electricity supply.

    According Buratai, the situation will require gradual approach according to available resources.

    “You can see that these two blocks of hostel accommodation commissioned today will go a long way to meet the needs of the students of this institution.

    “The requirement is huge nationwide and that is why we have adopted a holistic approach; here in Kachia, renovation of other dilapidated buildings will commence immediately.

    “We just commissioned some blocks for soldiers in Jaji yesterday and in the past two to three months we have renovated and constructed new blocks for soldiers and officers’ accommodation in different barracks across the country.

    “We have intervened in barracks in Jos, Lagos, Bauchi, Taraba, Maiduguri, Enugu, Minna and some other states, and work in many other barracks will commence soon, ’’ he said.

    Gen. Buratai said the military high command was extending the same attention it had given to infrastructural development to equipment upgrade and manpower development.

     

  • Cobbler dies in army barracks

    Cobbler dies in army barracks

    Family of a cobbler, Kabiru Rabe, allegedly killed by a soldier inside Giwa Barracks in Ikoyi, Lagos, last December 21 has appealed to the police and military for justice.

    In a petition to Lagos Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni Commandant, Giwa Barracks and Ikoyi Divisional Police Officer (DPO), they wondered why the soldier, simply identified as Danbaba, has not been arrested.

    According to Kabiru Lawal, who signed the petition, Danbaba, popularly called Sergeant Kurfo beat Rabe to death.

    He claimed that Danbaba descended on the deceased for allegedly not responding to his call.

    The late Rabe, he said, did not hear the soldier’s call because he had an ear piece on.

    The soldier, Lawal said, usually came to their workshop to force them into the barracks to clean gutters and do other menial job.

    “We have been doing this for a very long time without complain. Any complaint from any of us will attract severe beating and punishment.

    “But on this particular day, December 21, 2015, a Monday, we were at our place of work at Falomo roundabout where we shine shoes. He came and carried five of us – Hamza Abdullahi, Nuradeen Bala, Uzairu Yahaya, Alhassan Danladi and Kabiru Rabe (deceased). “Sergeant Danbaba came to raid us as usual. Coincidentally, Kabiru Rabe was wearing an ear piece and did not hear the soldier and that was his offence, which made the soldier to start hitting him with a stick till he fell down.

    “He continued to step on him until he gave up the ghost within the premises of the barracks.

    “The soldier took the corpse to Falomo Police Hospital on a bike and it was confirmed that my brother was dead. He brought a bus and moved him to the Polo Club, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi and ran away to his barracks.

    “When we went to the barracks, Danbaba and five other armed soldiers chased us away. They called Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), which they entered to move the corpse to Military Hospital mortuary on Awolowo Road.

    “On December 22, Danbaba and his colleagues went to the hospital to retrieve the corpse to an unknown destination. Nobody from Giwa Barracks told us anything.

    “We want to bury our son according to Islamic way. We appeal to you to investigate the killing and the whereabouts of the corpse,” said Lawal.

    But The Nation gathered that Danbaba, his friends and some Islamic cleric, took the corpse to a cemetery in Agege and buried it without the family’s consent.

    It was learnt that they moved the body from the morgue to the cemetery in a commercial bus.

    Acting Defence spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar said he was unaware of the incident, explaining that the military would not tolerate any act of lawlessness from its personnel.

    “The life of every Nigerian is valuable and important whether poor or rich; we are not going to tolerate wanton and unlawful killing of innocent citizens. In as much as I am not aware of the incident, I can assure you that the military will deal with the person involved if found to be a soldier in accordance with the law,” he said.

    Police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), said the police had launched a manhunt for the soldier.

    The matter, she said, had been referred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID) at Panti, Yaba.

    “The SCIID is in charge of the investigation. As at now, the identity of the soldier has not been known. We are working with the army authorities with a view to identifying the suspect and knowing his formation. We assure the family of the deceased that the suspect will be found,” Badmos said.

  • Suspect killed as soldiers foil suicide attempt at barracks

    Soldiers yesterday shot dead a suspected suicide bomber outside a military base in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, detonating explosives concealed in her handbag, a civilian vigilante and a military source told French News Agency, the AFP.

    Her target was thought to be the Maimalari army barracks — the main military base in Maiduguri, which has been hit repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists.

    “Soldiers at Maimalari army barracks this morning (yesterday) foiled a suicide attack by a female bomber,” said Babakura Kolo, from the civilian volunteer force assisting troops against the rebels.

    The woman approached the barracks around 7am and headed towards the gates, he said. Military guards at the gates shouted at her to stop for security checks but she ignored them and continued walking towards the gates, he added.

    “She continued walking with her handbag slung on her shoulder, despite repeated shouts from the soldiers asking herto  stop.

    “One of the soldiers opened fire on the woman and the handbag exploded, blowing the woman to pieces.”

    There were no other casualties in the explosion, which a military officer described as an “attempted suicide attack by Boko Haram terrorists”.

    Boko Haram has intensified its use of multiple suicide bombers to inflict maximum casualties, with secondary explosions detonated as people rush to help victims of the initial blast.

    Thirty-four people were killed in a wave of attacks on Thursday night and Friday morning on the outskirts of Maiduguri, 117 died last month in explosions in the Ajilari Cross area of the Borno state capital.

    Of the six suicide attacks in Nigeria this month, four have been in Maiduguri, killing at least 48 and injuring 99.

    The military source, who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to talk to the media, said the use of human bombs was a sign of the group’s desperation and frustration at the fight-back by troops.

    “They are looking for every opportunity to hit back, which is why they have resorted to soft-target attacks on mosques and markets and such attacks on a military base is intended to show the terrorists are still strong,” the officer added.

  • Hand-wash campaign moves to barracks

    Regular hand washing will contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on health and nutrition, a group, the Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative (HELWEI), has said.

    At an enlightenment campaign named “Kick dirt, hug life” to mark the Global Hand-washing Day at the Okota police barracks, it said most diseases could be prevented through simple hygiene.

    Addressing police officers and members of the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), the group’s Executive Director, Ebere Okey-Onyema, said hand washing is “a veritable behavioural tool essential for prevention of communicable diseases.”

    According to her, more awareness on sanitation and hygiene for improved health is needed in communities.

    “The common ailments we suffer such as malaria, diarrhoea and very recently Ebola are connected to ‘dirt’. To bridge the gap on knowledge, we sensitise communities, women and children through our campaign.

    She said:  “It is imperative, therefore, for us all to understand that we are products of our environment as well as our attitude, thoughts and actions. If we could imbibe the culture of keeping our environment tidy and regular hand washing becomes our lifestyle; it would lead to improved health status of the community members.”

    The HELWEI’s team engaged in cleaning of the barracks and donated shovels, brooms, rakes and waste baskets among others, to it.

    Okey-Onyema said they would return in six weeks to check how far the barracks’ condition has improved.

    “We want to work beyond Ebola. Today it’s Ebola, tomorrow it could be lassa fever. When you imbibe this culture of environmental cleanliness and hand-washing, it becomes a part of you,” she added.

    The group has also paid advocacy visits to the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Meat Sellers Association.

    Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr David Akinola urged the barracks’ management to set up a first aid centre.

  • 55 die as Boko Haram hits troops, prisons, barracks

    55 die as Boko Haram hits troops, prisons, barracks

    t was bloody yesterday in Bama, a town 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, the beleaguered capital of Borno State.

    -Dead: 22 policemen, 14 prison officials, 13 insurgents, 3 kids, 2 soldiers

     

    In a movie-like scene, about 10 trucks carrying an unspecified number of gunmen rolled into the town at dawn. The gunmen, believed to be Boko Haram fighters, attacked a police barracks and a military formation. No fewer than 55 persons, including 22 policemen, 13 prison officials as well as several insurgents, died in the mayhem. Among the dead were two women believed to be wives of two policemen and their three children.

    The invaders attacked a prison, setting some 109 inmates free.

    From one government facility to the other, the gunmen moved, leaving a trail of blood and tears.

    At the Prison Service, 13 officials were killed. Five policemen were killed at the Mobile Police Barracks/Base. Three people, including a woman who had just got married to a police corporal, were killed.

    The Magistrate’s Court, Revenue Office, Primary Healthcare Centre and Local Government secretariat, among other public places, were burnt.

    Also set ablaze were the Divisional Police Headquarters and the offices of the DPO and that of the Area Commander.

    Bama streets were empty all yesterday. Only soldiers and riot policemen were seen.

    The casualty at the prison may not have been big, according to sources, but for the inmates who reportedly exposed the officials hiding being firewood heaps.

    But the gunmen met a stiff resistance at the 202 Military Barracks on the outskirts of the town. Many of them were gunned down as they attempted to jump over the fence. A suspect, Bakura Ibrahim, was arrested.

    Some reporters, who were guided by the JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, visited the 202 Barracks yesterday to see the scene of the fighting. They were conducted round by the Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. A.G. Laka. He said 10 suspected Boko Haram members, some in military uniforms, were killed by soldiers who foiled their attempt to attack the barracks.

    Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the suspects. They included several 4 litres plastic containers water mixed with hard drugs, which, according to the military officer, makes insurgents lose their senses after taking it.

    Lt.-Col. Laka said his men succeeded in killing many of the suspects, but some of them picked the bodies of their colleagues before running away into the bush. They later attacked Banki, a town on the Camerounian border.

    Ten insurgents and seven policemen were killed penultimate week during a clash between security operatives and militants in Bama.

    About 200 houses, including shops were razed during that confrontation.

    Boko Haram launched its uprising in the tiny town in 2009, headquarters of Bama Local Goverrnment Area.

    Located about 75 kilometres away from Maiduguri, Bama, with an area of 4,997 square kilometers, has a population of 269, 986 according to the Nigerian Population Census (NPC) record of 2006.