A security practitioner and analyst, Mr. Matthew Ibadin, has called on the Federal Government to allocate the 753-unit housing estate recovered in Abuja recently from the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.

In a press statement on Thursday, Ibadin urged the Federal Government not to go on with the intended sales of the buildings to members of the public since politicians would likely hijack the process by buying the same through proxy.

According to the security chieftain, members of the Nigeria Police Force have not been well catered for, in spite of the fact that the Force remains the first line of defence in internal security.

In his words, “Police officers are the first line of defense in maintaining internal security, yet many operate under extremely harsh conditions. In some cases, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) sleep in their offices due to lack of accommodation.

“Officers in investigation and operations units often return from field duty without a place to rest. Several police barracks across the country are currently under renovation or have been demolished, leaving many personnel displaced and without shelter.

“Moreso, several police officers often die in the line of duty leaving their families without accommodation where they can continue their lives, adding that this is one of the reasons insecurity keeps escalating because officers and men in the field are not ready to take bullets since they are not sure that their families would be taken care of, in case of death in line of duty.

“This housing estate offers a timely and practical solution. It can serve as transitional or permanent accommodation for officers in need, especially those patrolling highways or posted to high-risk zones.

“Allocating this estate to the Nigeria Police would not only address urgent welfare needs but also strengthen morale, operational effectiveness, and ultimately, national security since the police is the only security agency where officers and men do not have a closing time.

“Police often work 24 hours, unlike their sister agencies that have resumption and closing times. We should appreciate the police.”

Despite the assurance of transparency, Ibadin noted that such a promise was an empty one as the buildings would not get to the needy but oppressive politicians who are not tired of primitive accumulation.

He decried a situation where many people in the political class are amassing wealth stupendously at the public expense in a country where many officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies are living in dilapidated barracks.