Senate orders redeployment of RiversState Police Commissioner. By Ben Ezeamalu NATIONAL, NEWS The Nigerian Senate on Thursday passed a resolution seeking the redeployment of Joseph Mbu, the controversial Rivers State Commissioner of Police. In a resolution which aligns it with the House of Representatives, the Upper House also passed a resolution taking over the functions of the River State House of Assembly. The resolution would see the National Assembly take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly pending the resolution of the crisis in the state. The Rivers State House of Assembly had been embroiled in a leadership tussle which led to hoodlums invading the House on July 9, attacking lawmakers and taking away the mace. The controversy also saw five lawmakers impeach the Speaker of the 32-member assembly; as well as a lawmaker whipping a colleague with a mace, the latter ending up in a hospital. Though the presidency repeatedly distanced itself from the feud, observers insisted the crisis was a fallout of the leadership tussle between President Goodluck Jonathan and Rotimi Amaechi, the Rivers State governor. In a swift reaction to the crisis, the House of Representatives passed a resolution, on July 10, urging the removal of Mr. Mbu, as well as taking over the duties of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Also, five Northern governors, last week, asked the Inspector General of Police to redeploy the Rivers State Police Commissioner accusing him of “unprofessionalism and political partisanship.” Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger State; Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State; Sule Lamido of Jigawa State; and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State were on a solidarity visit to Mr. Amaechi. “With the way the police is being used and abused, and with officers like Mbu in the bus, we do not see the need for state governments to fund an antagonistic police and may be forced to reconsider our position on the financial contribution of states towards the funding of the Nigerian police,” said a joint statement by the five governors. The Senate had taken an initial lenient step towards the Rivers State lawmakers, few days after the crisis, merely condemning it and urging Mohammed Abubakar, the Police Inspector-General to “take immediate steps to address the broken relationship” between Messrs. Amaechi and Mbu. However, on Thursday, David Mark, the Senate president, said that the two resolutions passed by the Upper House became necessary for peace to return to the troubled state.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 03:30:15 +0000
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