By Peter Duru

A HIGH profile building meant to provide accommodation and offices for officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force in Benue State, has been abandoned in the forest 18 years after it was started.

The building, which was meant to host the Zone 4 Zonal Headquarters of the NPF in the state, has remained an abandoned project now being taken over by unknown men and women at its Kilometre Four location along Gboko Road in Makurdi, Benue State.

Neither the state government nor the Federal Government appears to have any interest in taking up the completion of the essential security project despite the incessant security challenges along that axis of the town.

Arewa Voice reliably gathered that part of the building, which has been taken over by weeds and rodents, had at several times provided a safe abode for miscreants and criminals who routinely terrorize residents of the town without any challenge from any quarters. But apparently abandoned with no hope of completion, the place has been taken over by many individuals and families who now use it as a house of their own.

But our findings by AV indicate that the police authorities are aware of those who are squatting in the sprawling uncompleted compound but are keeping sealed lips over the abandonment of the complex.

A reliable police source, who craved anonymity, explained thus: “We had to allow those presently occupying the building to do so because at a point we had criminals who had converted the complex into their hideout where they retired to after carrying out their criminal activities in the town.

“They were also using the place to sell and consume drugs and the people living within the community never had the courage to report them to the police. We have on several occasions stormed the complex to have them arrested. And when it was discovered that the effort to clear the building was not yielding the desired result, families were encouraged to take over the uncompleted building and convert it into their residences.

“But we must also point out that the building in question was started in 2003 after the then administration of George Akume gave the police that piece of land to construct the permanent site of the Zone 4 complex. Work on the complex was abandoned in 2004 a year after construction commenced on the site because the present location of police Zone 4 was a makeshift location since it was a Makurdi Area Command office, which was borrowed by the Zone on a temporary basis.

“It was hoped that the project would be completed in no time to allow  the Zone move to a more befitting complex which also has a mini barrack. From what we gathered, before then, Assistant Inspector General, AIG, Yinusa Isa, who was in charge at the time had written to the authorities to expand the present complex, which was granted.

He acquired more of the land within the present location and tried to expand the office which did not help matters.

“It was at that time that the then governor was asked for land for a new complex and that new location on kilometre four was given to the Zone. The contract for the construction of a befitting office complex was awarded 2003 and the contractor, after working on the project for one year abandoned it in 2004. Sadly, 18 years after, the project has remained abandoned and the Zone 4 Police Command has remained in that pigeon hole of an office complex which was originally a Makurdi Area Command office complex.

“The Force Headquarters cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the lack of office complex and conducive working environment at the Zonal Command in Makurdi.

Efforts should be made to have the permanent site of the zone completed because where the zone is presently located is certainly not befitting for the Force and the personnel who for decades have had to contend with lack of office space and undesirable working environment,” the senior officials said.

Vanguard News Nigeria