A police
sergeant, who lived in Highway Barracks, Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, and his
visitor lost their lives on Sunday after the toilet and the staircase of the
building
collapsed.
The policeman
identified simply as Danjuma and his visitor, whose name had yet to be
ascertained, were about to have their bath around 4.30am when the structure
fell on them.
It was said
that the occupants of the barracks had been warned to vacate the distressed
two-storeyed building by the authorities, but they declined on the grounds that
they did not have the means to relocate.
At the scene
at about 11am, Punch observed residents salvaging their property as officials
of NEMA and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency prepared to completely
demolish the building.
One of the
residents, Mrs. Jenifa Mattias, said she was woken up by the sound of the
collapse, adding that Danjuma moved into the barracks about five months ago.
She said, “He
was a gentleman. He was transferred to Lagos recently and lived alone. I don’t
know whether the visitor was his friend or relative. But they wanted to bathe
when the toilet fell on them.
“We have been
told to pack out, but we refused to leave because we have nowhere to go. But
now that this has happened, I know God will make a way.”
An eyewitness,
Hussain Abam, said efforts to rescue the victims alive proved abortive.
“It took some
time before we were able to break the slabs that covered them and bring them
out. The visitor was a civilian; he arrived here yesterday,” he added.
A tailor,
Mikail Afolabi, lamented the bad state of the buildings in the barracks and
called on the government to renovate them.
He said,
“These structures are weak. I cried when I saw the corpses. It was very
unfortunate, especially on a day like this (Christmas) when people are
celebrating.”
A policeman,
who lives in a building opposite the collapsed structure, blamed the dilapidation
of the buildings in the barracks on the police authorities.
The cop, who
gave his name simply as John, said, “Every month, N7,500 is deducted from each
policeman’s salary and now, we were told to leave on or before Wednesday. Where
do they want us to go? Where is the money they have been deducting from our
salaries? They did not renovate the barracks. We have no place to go.”
The Lagos
State Commissioner of Police confirmed the death, Fatai Owoseni, saying efforts
had been made to renovate the barracks.
He said, “The
funds that are available to the government and the police are used to upgrade
the facilities from time to time. When an incident like this happens, it calls
for us to reassess and test the integrity of the buildings; and from there we move
on.
“It is not
possible to house every policeman in the barracks. Some policemen have to live
within the communities they are.”
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