Rivers Crisis: IG Ordered The Redeployment Of Amaechi Security – Police The Rivers State Police Command on Friday defended its role in the ongoing Rives crisis, saying it was the Inspector General of Police, IG, Mohammed Abubakar, that ordered the redeployment of the security details of Governor Rotimi Amaechi. The Rivers State Government on Thursday night through a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information and Technology, Ibim Semenitari, raised an alarm that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Joseph Mbu was taking measures it believed were endangering the life of Mr. Amaechi. The state accused Mr. Mbu of making curious, discreet inquiries about the governor’s movements; and redeploying the police officer in charge of Mr. Amaechi’s convoy for failing to furnish Mr. Mbu with details about the governor’s movement. While responding to the claims by the Rivers government, the spokesperson for the Rivers Police, Angela Agabe, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Abubakar ordered that all escort commanders, camp commandant and all other details attached to every state government house across the nation cease to bear such titles and thus be redeployed and replaced. “A signal from the Force Headquarters said that all officers occupying such posts should, with immediate effect, be redeployed and replaced and it is not only in Rivers state, its applicable to the 36 states in the country,” Ms. Agabe said The state government also accused Mr. Mbu of compromising the governor’s security and safety on various occasions, saying that the police boss in May allowed ex-militants to barricade the gate into the Government House after parading major streets of Port Harcourt; thus proving that Mr. Mbu held the governor in disdain. Ms. Agabe denied the accusation and insisted that the police commissioner could not have allowed militants to attack the governor and would not do anything to jeopardise the governor’s security. However, the Rivers Information Commissioner, Ibim Semenitari, on Friday, countered Ms. Agabe’s “excuses”; saying they were hard to believe. She said they were not the same reasons given when the governor’s Escort Commander and the Camp Commandant were summoned to the police headquarters; and when the governor personally called Mr. Mbu to complain about the removal of his escort commander. “Even if, for the purposes of argument, it were indeed factual that the Inspector General of police ordered the redeployment of Governor Amaechi’s Escort Commander, wouldn’t the courteous thing be for the Commissioner of Police and the police high command to inform and explain this to Governor Amaechi?” she asked. She then insisted, “On matters of his personal security, a governor reserves the right to reject or accept security details as he may be comfortable with.” She stated that the Rivers government was reluctant to accept what it considers a lame and unsatisfactory argument by the Rivers State Police Command. Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who speaks for the Nigerian Police and Mr. Abubakar, is yet to confirm the reasons offered by Ms. Agabe. Phone calls and text messages to his phone were not answered. Mr. Amaechi, had, at the onset of the Rivers crisis, called for the redeployment of Mr. Mbu from Rivers accusing the police chief of bias in the political crisis in the state and of relative incompetence in the discharge of his duties.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 08:02:20 +0000
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