The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the withdrawal of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team from a hotel in Bayelsa State, following pressure from the hotel’s management over unpaid lodging fees amounting to N625 million.
The SWAT unit, deployed to Opu-Nembe in the Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa since August 12, 2023, had occupied Euphemie Motel for 13 months without making any payments. The situation escalated when the hotel’s management threatened to sue the Nigerian Police Force over the debt, prompting the Inspector-General to take swift action.
According to reports, the SWAT team, led by CSP Silas Adebayo, was stationed in Opu-Nembe for a peacekeeping mission ahead of the last governorship election. During their deployment, the police personnel turned Euphemie Motel into their operational base without seeking permission from the hotel’s owners or compensating them for the use of their facilities.
The SWAT team was allegedly sent to the area at the request of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who was also the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate during the election.
For more than a year, the 50-room hotel, which charges N25,000 per night for lodging and N100,000 per day for its two conference rooms, was occupied by police personnel. The unpaid bill quickly accumulated, putting a strain on the business.
The owner of Euphemie Motel, through his legal counsel, Inemoye Maxwell Brown Esq., sent a petition to the Inspector-General of Police on October 9, 2024. The petition demanded the immediate withdrawal of the SWAT team and payment of the N625 million debt for the 13-month occupation.
In his petition, Brown explained that the hotel had suffered significant damage during the SWAT team’s stay, leaving its facilities in near-ruin. “Our client’s business premises and the facilities are almost in complete ruin,” the lawyer stated. “A complete renovation is imminent, and it is imperative to restore the facilities with a view to returning to normal business.”
He also stressed that the police force, as a “respectable and responsible establishment,” must act swiftly to address the situation. The petition called for the hotel to be vacated immediately and the outstanding debt to be paid within six weeks.
In response to the petition and growing pressure from the public and legal threats, IGP Egbetokun issued a directive on October 16, 2024, ordering the SWAT team to vacate Euphemie Motel. The withdrawal was completed on October 3, 2024, just days before the formal order was made public.
According to a statement from Brown, the police acted promptly in vacating the premises, fulfilling the first part of his client’s demands. “The Nigerian Police, as a respectable establishment, has gracefully implemented one of the prayers contained in the petition,” Brown told reporters in Yenagoa.
However, the issue of the unpaid N625 million remains unresolved. The hotel management has given the police six weeks to settle the debt, failing which they plan to proceed with legal action.
The N625 million debt covers lodging fees for the SWAT team’s 13-month stay, as well as damages to the hotel’s property. Brown emphasized that the prolonged occupation had severely impacted the hotel’s ability to conduct business, with its facilities in urgent need of repair.
“Not only did the SWAT team occupy the hotel without payment, but the business also suffered as a result of the damage caused,” Brown said. He noted that the hotel’s conference rooms, often rented out for events, had been used by the police as part of their operational base, further increasing the financial losses for the owner.
The lawyer warned that if the police fail to make the payment within the six-week period, his client would have no choice but to take the matter to court.
When contacted for comment, the Bayelsa State Police Command stated that the case was beyond its jurisdiction. Public Relations Officer for the state command, ASP Musa Mohammed, told reporters that the SWAT team’s operation in Opu-Nembe fell under the control of the national police headquarters.
“It is the PRO of the headquarters that can comment on the issue because the Opu-Nembe operation of the SWAT falls out of our jurisdiction,” Mohammed said.
The national police headquarters has yet to issue an official statement regarding the situation or the outstanding debt.
The presence of the SWAT team in Opu-Nembe has been controversial since the beginning. While some community members viewed their presence as necessary for maintaining peace and security ahead of the election, others complained of harassment and intimidation by the police officers.
