The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to urgently secure temporary accommodation for officers affected by the fire outbreak at the Accra Central Police Barracks near Tudu.
The directive comes as government moves to provide immediate relief and restore stability for personnel and their families who were displaced by the incident.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, June 4, Mr Mohammed-Mubarak said temporary arrangements, including hotel accommodation, are being considered while more sustainable housing solutions are secured.
“We are looking at immediate measures like hotels, but we know they cannot stay there for long. So once they are in, we will quickly secure rental accommodation for them,” he stated.
The Interior Minister revealed that discussions with a private sector partner aimed at addressing the police housing deficit were already underway before the fire occurred.
“We were actually talking to a private partner who was willing to come in and augment the housing deficit for the police. We left around 4:30 p.m. while going through documentation, and later in the night, during the rains, we heard about the fire,” he explained.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak commended the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, National Security and other emergency responders for their swift intervention, which helped prevent casualties.
“I want to thank the IGP and his team, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Chief Fire Officer and his team, National Security and all the security apparatus for all they did,” he said.
Although several officers lost personal belongings and property in the blaze, the minister expressed relief that no lives were lost.
“We’ve lost properties. Our men and women have lost belongings, but at least we are grateful that no life was lost. Life is the only thing we cannot replace,” he noted.
According to him, government has already begun providing relief items to affected officers, some of whom lost virtually all their possessions in the fire.
He further disclosed that the Vice President has been briefed on the situation and may visit the scene upon her return to Accra.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak stressed that affected officers must be rehoused as quickly as possible.
“The IGP has been instructed to do whatever is humanly possible to make sure that by the close of today or tomorrow, everybody is housed,” he said.
Meanwhile, government says plans are underway to replace the damaged barracks with a modern, fire-resilient facility as part of broader efforts to improve infrastructure and accommodation within the Ghana Police Service.
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