by Zara Mustapha

Some widows of policemen who lived in the barracks of the  Mobile Police Unit 20, commanded by Olubode Ojajuni, a Chief  Superintendent of Police, CSP, who was a one time Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, were evicted from their homes over two weeks ago and are still struggling to recover from their ordeal.

Some of the evicted widows are still yet to come to terms with the new development as they do not have a roof over their heads with their children, while some have their properties scattered all over the barracks.

According to reports, some of the affected women claimed they are yet to receive benefits and entitlements of their late husbands.

PM News reports:

Speaking about her experience, Mrs. Stella Mubo, wife of the late Inspector Simon Mubo, an indigene of Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State said:  “It was on Wednesday May 20, 2014, we the widows in Mopol 20 Barracks were invited by the commander, Mopol 20, CSP Ojajuni. We went to his office at Oduduwa GRA with high hopes that probably good things were coming on our way, being widows whose husbands died in active duty, and still awaiting the benefits and  entitlements due to our husbands.

“But rather, we got a shocking news of our lives  from Ojajuni that we should pack out with immediate effect. We appealed to him to give us time because he told us to move out on Saturday, the same week he called us, because we have not been paid our husband’s benefits. He said he does not want to hear or know that we have not been paid.

“He added that since we are widows in the barracks, if there is any problem, they cannot deal with us, and that we should pack. I begged him that he should give us  time, but he said, no, that he cannot give us time. He said that if I want to beg, I should go to Abuja and beg. I kept begging, and he now said I should leave his office. The  following day, he brought the quit notice. Three days later, that was on the 31 May, they came early that morning with a truck-load of Mobile Policemen and started throwing out our property. There was nothing we could do. As I am speaking with you now, all our properties are still outside. We don’t have where to go. How can somebody serve the Federal Government for twenty-something years, and died in active service and his widow and children are thrown out just like that, without paying them entitlements.

“We were given only three days to pack and on the third day they came to throw us out. I and my children have been sleeping outside since then, nowhere to go,” she added.

According to Mrs. Mubo, her  husband died on 22 August, 2010. “Since then his entitlement has not been paid. The only thing received was burial expenses. Since then, nothing else. I have been running up and down, borrowing money to pursue the payment.

I don’t really know what is the problem, I have been going to the pension office and they have been telling me the money is not ready, and that I should come back. I was there last week. This week Monday, I was there, I have not been paid. I don’t know what the problem is.

She lamented that her husband was involved in an accident at  PWD and was rushed to the hospital where he died. “Since then, I have been managing with my children. I have two children.

“It has been difficult for us to collect our husbands benefits years after they died, but the police authority is not doing anything about it. They are not assisting us to facilitate quick payment of our late husband entitlements.

“I feel very sad. Since we were thrown out, I have not been eating. The injustice is too much. This will not encourage me to advice any of my children to join the Police Force. The way things are done is not encouraging. They made me to cry and I cry everyday. No help from anybody. All my property are still outside. I want the police authority to pay us so that we can get accommodation,” she pleaded.

According to her, they (police) claimed that “some of us have stayed between 7 years and 8 years. This is not true about myself; it’s just three years and few months ago that my husband died and I have not been paid, so they are just using that as an excuse. It is a case of giving dog a bad name in order to kill it, they should have identified those who have been paid; rather than throwing us out. How can you give somebody three days quit notice and force the person out of the house within three days. How can the police, which is responsible for law and order do this. Can a landlord under the law issue three days quit notice to a tenant and go ahead to execute it. If such matter is reported to the police, how would they handle it?” she asked.

 “They should go to the office and confirm. It is Pension Alliance that will pay, and they have not paid me. They should go to their office and confirm if it is true they have paid me or not,” she lamented.

 “If I have been paid, why should I still be in the barracks. Am I enjoying my life there. I am suffering there. There is no renovation there; the houses are even old and expired.

“When they came, I was not around; they forced the door and broke it open and threw my things out. That was what they did to us,” she said.

 Another victim, Mrs. Alice E. Bello, from Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State said that before the death of her  husband, they lived  at Block 1, Flat 7 Mopol 20 Barracks.

“What led to the police throwing my properties out of the house was that they gave me just two days quit notice. They brought the notice on Thursday and on Friday, we went to their office to beg them to give us more time because we have not collected our husband’s benefit. My husband died in a motor accident in 2010.

 “Since then, they have not paid us his benefits. Even the burial money, they have not paid me. That is burial expenses, I did not collect it. When I went there, they told me they did not see the file. That is what happened and they have not paid us up till now.

 “Then on Friday,  we went to see the Commissioner of Police to beg him for more time, we were told he was not on seat and were directed to an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Iloh, who is the AC Administration. She promised that she will beg for us to stay for extra one week or two weeks. She even called CSP Ojajuni in our presence.

“He told her he was in a meeting with the IGP in Abuja that he  had only come out to receive her call. But on Saturday morning, I was not at home. I was on duty because I’m managing some cleaning work somewhere. Before I returned, they had broken my door, scattered and damaged so many other things,” she said.

 She said she is  a cleaner at Saint Leo Catholic Church Medical Centre. “I have 2 children. I was not working before the death of my husband. After his death, even when I came to the command headquarters, they said that I should not fold my hands, that I should look for something to do, and that it will take long before the benefits will be paid.

 “Since then, I have been suffering, selling fufu, pepper, okro inside the barracks; before I started looking for work, because I was living from hand to mouth. In a day, if I sell, I will eat, if I do not sell, I will not see something to eat with my children.

 “My husband was promoted to a Sergeant, but he did not hang the rank before he died. He died in an accident on Ikorodu Road. Till now, I do not have a place to lay my head.

 “I distributed my property when rain started to destroy them. The chair and everything were affected by the heavy  downpour which happened a day after the incident.

“There was no place to put my load. Though there is a sister that decided to help me, I and my children slept in the corridor. That is where we are still sleeping up till now.

 “The claim that some people have been settled and have spent up to seven to eight years in the barracks is a lie. I have not collected a kobo. If l had collected benefits, what is the need of wasting time in the barracks?

 “The bad feelings is too much. Even yesterday night, I was crying outside; As I am even talking now, I’m still crying,” and she burst into tears. “Because I don’t have anybody. My husband served the Nigeria Police Force and this thing happened to him and his family. Up till now, they did not pay his money. They packed our load outside. Is it good like this?.

 “They will tell you to go and bring paper from where your husband joined the police. My husband joined the Police in Sokoto. They said I should go and bring the letter from there. “There, they demanded for money. They said you should give them transport fare; that they want to collect the paper from Abuja. They demand between N3,000 to N5,000,” she added.

There were tears and gnashing of teeth among widows and the children of dead officers living at the barracks of the Police Mobile Force, 20 Squadron (MOPOL 20), Ikeja, as they were forcefully thrown out of the barracks without settlement of their late husbands and fathers allowances by the Nigeria Police Force. Over 10 widows and their children were affected.  Their  belongings littered everywhere at the premises of the barracks between the Saturday when they were forcefully ejected and Sunday evening.

The affected children and women interviewed alleged that it was just a case of man’s inhumanity to man.

Some of them who were said to have  lost their husbands in active service between three and five years ago argued that their stay at the barracks was because their husband’s entitlements  had not been paid.

“Where do they expect us to get money to rent a house when we have not been paid. Even some of our children are out of school because there is no money to continue their education; some who have graduated from secondary school could not enter the university. We struggle to feed them, and now the police authority have thrown us out,” she lamented.

When the scene was visited on Sunday evening, after the heavy downpour, some of the personal  items of the victims were seen in pool of water as they had not been able to relocate.

Another victim who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were given just  three days notice and the next thing they saw on Saturday morning was a truck-load of mobile policemen who came to force them out.

A copy of the quit notice signed by Usman M. Nasarawa, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP and O/C PMF 20 Provost, for Commanding Officer, Police Mobile Force, 20 Squadron, Ikeja dated May 28, 2014 and made available to  P.M.NEWSMETRO reads: “It has come to my  notice that despite the fact that you have been Transferred/Demobed/retired from the Squadron/Force long ago, you are still occupying the Squadron’s official Quarters/Barracks which your continuous occupation of this quarters is illegal and contrary to IGP’s circular Ref. No. CH: 7970/FS/148 of 30th January, 1990 and CH: 7700?PER?FHQ?ABJ.T/1 dated 22 October,1999.

“You are therefore given up to 30 May, 2014  i.e. three days to vacate your quarters or you will be forcefully ejected after expiration of this notice,” the letter added.

Majority of the victims disputed the allegation that they were illegal occupants as stated in the quit notice, saying that they were living happily with their husbands before death came calling and if their husbands  entitlements had been paid, they would have left the barracks a long time ago.

On the allegation that some of them have been paid but they refused to quit, the aggrieved widows said that the onus is on the police to verify those who have been settled and quit them rather than quitting everybody including a widow whose husband died less that a year ago.

It was gathered that only about two or  three, including a man who had since retired, have been settled but does not want to leave. Others alleged that their forceful ejection was uncalled for as their entitlements have not been paid.

Efforts to reach both the Commissioner of Police Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko and the Command’s image maker Ngozi Braide for comments were not fruitful as their lines did not connect when their phones were called.

However, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba who received his call could not comment on the incident but referred  this publication to Commander  Mopol 20, Olubode Ojajuni, a Chief Superintendent of Police who said the decision was final as the barracks is for easy mobilization of serving mobile police officers.