The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to immediately secure temporary accommodation for police officers affected by the fire outbreak at the Accra Central Police Barrack, near Tudu, as emergency arrangements are made to restore stability and welfare support.

He noted that temporary arrangements, including hotel accommodation, are being considered while longer-term housing solutions are put in place.

“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 added.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, June 4, Mr Mohammed-Mubarak disclosed that discussions with a private partner aimed at addressing the police housing deficit were ongoing when the incident 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,” the official said.

He expressed appreciation to the emergency and security agencies for their swift response to the incident.

“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.

According to him, while property was destroyed, no lives were lost in the incident.

“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 stated.

The official confirmed that immediate steps are being taken to ensure all affected officers are rehoused without delay.

“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.

He further indicated that relief items have already been provided to support the affected officers, some of whom lost all their personal belongings.

The official also revealed that the Vice President has been briefed on the incident and may visit the affected site upon her return to Accra.

Meanwhile, the government says plans are underway to replace the damaged facility with a more modern and fire-resilient structure as part of long-term infrastructure improvements for the police service.