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Troops Lock Out Bar Beach Towers' Residents

Daily Champion (Lagos)
NEWS
December 7, 2005
Posted to the web December 7, 2005

By Rasheed Bisiriyu
Lagos
ARMED soldiers yesterday invaded Bar Beach Towers on Victoria Island, Lagos and
held the residents hostage, ostensibly to evict them from the estate.
Government last month allocated the estate and another on Revee Road, Ikoyi to
the Military, designating them as barracks. The two estates are among seven
government highrise buildings in Lagos approved for long lease to private
firms. But the occupants who insisted on buying the estates, had vowed not to
vacate their flats.
At the Bar Beach Towers, the soldiers reportedly arrived the place as early as
4.00 a.m, blocked the main entrance gate and ordered occupants to move out
their belongings under 10 minutes or remain indoors.
Only those prepared to pack out were said to be allowed out of the premises. No
visitor was allowed into the estate. Even this reporter was almost manhandled
by the gun-totting soldiers at the entrance gate. His micro-recorder was
confiscated and was only released after about an hour later without the
cassette.
According to one of the occupants, Hannatu Isiyaku, a staff of Voice of Nigeria
who spoke with Daily Champion on phone, the military men badged into some of
the flats and terrorised the people.
"They were ringing the bell and started shouting around 4.00 a.m ordering us to
pack out. They said the order was from the President and threatened to tear gas
the whole area if we fail to comply," she narrated.
She said some of them entered her room on the 12th floor, removed her mattress
and disorganised the whole place.
Although she confirmed that some of the residents were beginning to pack out of
the estate, she however said she had no where to go to, adding that she had
lived in Lagos for 11 years.
Lawyer to the residents Mr Ray Onyegu who only last week secured a court
injunction restraining government from forcefully evicting them, declared that
they would not succumb to the latest intimidation from the military men.
Meanwhile, there was uneasy calm at the 1004 Estate also on Victoria Island
yesterday, as the youths barricaded the entrance gate, apparently to prevent
the Bar Beach Towers treatment in their own area.
Vice Chairman of the Residents Association, Mrs Ummah Mohammed confirmed that
nothing unusual happened there. She however rejected all alternative
arrangement being offered by government, to encourage them to relocate,
including the N250,000 grant, saying they were all ploys to eject them.

   

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