A team of policemen from the Works Department of the Force Headquarters allegedly stormed the senior police officers’ quarters at the Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Ikeja, Lagos, and reportedly looted and vandalized the residence of a retired Commissioner of Police, Chucks Enwonwu.
Eyewitnesses reported that the group of policemen, numbering over 10, arrived at the retired officer’s residence located at Quarter 33, Flat 2, Oba Akinjobi Street, G.R.A., Ikeja, and engaged in extensive vandalism and theft of property inside the residence. The retired Commissioner of Police was reportedly absent during the operation.
Speaking to reporters about the destruction, the retired police officer expressed his distress, stating that the targeted flat had been his official quarters while in service. He explained that he had yet to move to another property he purchased from the Police Cooperative at Bank Anthony Way and had encountered difficulties accessing the GRA flat due to pending demolishment.
The retired officer recounted attempts to communicate with the officer leading the demolition exercise, expressing his appeal for a delay to allow him to send personnel to pack his belongings. However, his requests were allegedly disregarded, leading to the extensive looting and vandalism of his property.
He estimated his losses to be over N15 million, including cash, jewellery, clothes, property documents, and certificates. Despite attempts to contact the officer in charge of the Works Department, he claimed his calls were unanswered until later, when the officer cited illness and requested forgiveness for those involved in the exercise.
In response, ACP Dangana, reportedly in charge of the Police Works Department in Lagos, defended the eviction, stating that he signed the eviction notice due to the retired officer’s status as an illegal occupant. He claimed that the directive to eject illegal occupants came from the police high command and that the retired officer had overstayed in the building after retirement.
