Many have seen how dilapidated the police quarters are, possibly have heard how horrible the Nigerian Police cells can be. The reality is right from the Academy, the Nigerian Police officer has known no better way to live.
A Channels TV documentary on the life of students living in the Nigerian Police College Ikeja, Lagos has revealed the deplorable conditions they face. Its an irony that these students will later graduate to become policemen and women.
Channels TV had the opportunity to film a meal-time at the training college at Ikeja, Lagos, the crew recounted how they watched as the cadets struggled to get their bellies filled with substances not fit enough to call food. About 50 trainees were seen sharing one head of fish.
The documentary shows the sad state of the dormitories, the toilets and more. Students were seen urinating at the back of the building where the drainage system has broken down completely. The toilets and bathrooms are in such terrible conditions, one wonders how students manage to use them.
The college’s male dormitory 10, is one of those built by Nigerian colonial masters in 1940. Today, its windows and doors are damaged with no plans for any repairs. There is no electricity and the occupants point out blood stains from bed bug bites.
Also, the female hostels are in no way better. Meanwhile, the recruits will spend 13 months of their lives in there. An Olympic-size swimming pool is one of the facilities the college can once boost off, but have is now a breeding ground for toads.
Also, the college is known in wining medals for shooting all over West Africa but there is no shooting range anymore.
According to Jonah Mavah, the Deputy Commandant of the College, there has been no major development since establishment except for some few renovations.
The College itself was built to accommodate only 700 students but today, it contains 2,554. As for the library, the Staff says they cannot remember the last time books were supplied to the library which is full of museum pieces and antiquities called books bought in the 1970s.
There are 7 police colleges in Nigeria and a total of 18,500 constables graduated as at December 2012.
In 2013, a sum of N311 billion Naira has been budgeted for the Nigerian Police. It is hoped this money would be used judiciously and a significant part of it be allocated to improving infrastructure in the Police College and other facilities of the Nigerian Police.
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