AWKA—THE Mobile 29 Squadron police based in Awka, Anambra State has been issued a quit notice by their landlord,Chief Dilim Okafor who alleged that five years rent arrears of N15 million is being owed him by the police authorities. But the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator David Mark said the committee was not aware of the debt which he said was an administrative matter. He however urged Nigerians to make sacrifice for the police. Okafor, the landlord lamented that the police have wrecked him, saying that he had borrowed over N30 milliom to service the loan he obtained to build the barrack for the mobile policemen.
He has consequently instructed his lawyers to issue a quit notice order to policemen to vacate the barracks. The mobile squadron 29 unit is occupying about 22 buildings in a large expanse of land on the Awka- Enugu express road opposite the permanent campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University.But the landlord, Chief Dilim Okafor,has instructed his lawyers, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) to eject the policemen and their families for the refusal of the authorities to pay him five years rent.Okafor has also mandated his lawyers to drag the police authorities to court, saying that the police authorities have wrecked him for “trying to assist them”.
Okafor claimed that he had met the Inspector General of Police about four times on the rent arrears but “nothing has come out of it”.” I am going to court. I have instructed my lawyer,Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, he has written them.They have wrecked me. We have written to give them six months and three months to take them to court. “I am also preparing a letter to the Senator and House of Representatives member representing my constituency to let them know what I am going through. I will copy to the chairman of the senate committee on Police affairs and his House of Representatives counter part. “ I have seen the inspector general of police (Tafa Balogun) four times but nothing came out of it. They should see reasons and sympathize with me. I borrowed money from banks to develop the property and I have been servicing the loans. I have sold my property elsewhere worth N30 million to service the loans. They (police) can only do this to me, they cannot do it to an Hausa or a Yoruba man.
“The Inspector General cannot tell me that he does not know about the exsistence of Mobile squadron 29 unit and that no budget have been provided for them. My valuer has written them. The state government officially wrote them handing over the property to them after paying me only one million naira in 1997. All the police commissioners that served here knew about this problem.” I have also met the chairman of the Police Service Commision, Chief Simon Okeke, he sympathized with me but nothing has happened. I am pleading with President Olusegun Obasanjo to intervene and ask the police to pay me the arrears of my rent” Okafor said at a press conference at Awka.
He explained that he came to the rescue of the police by building the houses in 1997 when as a result of upsurge in armed robbery in the state, the Government clamoured for the establishment of Mobile police unit in the state.
Apart from the rent arrears, Vanguard learnt that the police have further accumulated bills unpaid at a hotel owned by okafor, who has been assisting them in times of difficulty.
