Three buildings housing 81 Police families to be demolished

The Nigeria Police in Lagos State, on Thursday, said three more buildings housing 81 Police families would be demolished at the Highway Police Barracks, Ikeja, due to structural defects.

Mr. Maigari Dikko, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Works disclosed this to newsmen while inspecting a building that collapsed in the same barracks.

Two persons lost their lives in the incident.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that a Sergeant and a civilian lost their lives on Christmas Day when part of the bathroom collapsed while they had their bath.


That building was later pulled down on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Fatai Owoseni.

Dikko said he was instructed by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to visit the scene of  the incident and also to commiserate with the families of those that lost their lives.

“We have told some of them to vacate the buildings. The buildings are defective; they have been served quit notice to leave for a long time.

“We have asked Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos Command and the Works Department to enforce the relocation. We do not want a repeat of the incident in the barracks.

“The officers affected are not being evicted. They are asked to relocate for obvious reason of safety.

“We are working out a plan for better rehabilitation of all defective buildings in all barracks across the nation.

“We are using direct labour to rehabilitate police barracks. The project will commence as soon as the government releases the needed fund’’, Dikko said.

The DIG said that all police officers affected would be given lodging allowance for relocation as soon as the government releases the fund.

NAN reports that each block of the two-storey buildings accommodated 27 Police families of rank and file, and some ASPs.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 2, Mr. Kayode Aderanti; and Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, accompanied the DIG on the inspection. (NAN)