Amaechi, Mbu at war Escort commander’s removal, an order from above -Police It’s an afterthought, lame excuse-Govt Barely 24 hours after the Rivers State government raised the alarm that the state police commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu was plotting harm against Governor Rotimi Aamechi following the sudden withdrawal of the latter’s security commanders, the police command has offered explanations for the move.The state police command said the redeployment of Governor Amaechi’s escort commander was a directive from the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar. Reacting to the alarm by the state Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, that the re-deployment was targeted at Governor Amaechi, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, said there was no iota of truth in the commissioner’s claim. She explained that the IG’s directive cuts across all the Police commands in the 36 states and Abuja, insisting that it was neither peculiar to Rivers State, nor targeted at any government official. She regretted that every action taken by the Nigeria Police is misinterpreted in Rivers State because of the political situation in the state. She told Saturday Sun that IG Abubakar was concerned about the bad image, positions like Escort Commander, Camp commandant, Officer In Charge of Bomb(O/C Bomb), among others, are giving to the Nigeria Police, hence, the decision to scrap them. She accused the groups of operating outside the Commissioner of Police’s directives. Agabe also denied the allegation that the state police commissioner was trying to extract information from security men, attached to the Government House, about Amaechi’s movements. Besides resting such positions, Agabe disclosed that the IG also directed those operating in those capacities, at various Government Houses in the country to leave. Governor Amaechi, however, described as lame and unsatisfactory, the reasons given by the Police Commissioner for the redeployment of the Escort Commander. The governor, who spoke to Saturday Sun through the Commissioner for Information, Mrs., Ibim Semenitari, said: “The Rivers State Government is reluctant to accept what it considers a lame and unsatisfactory argument by the Rivers State Police Command.” She described the defence by the police as an afterthought, saying the governor was concerned about the CP trying to get information about his movements, through security men attached to the Government House. Ibim further said: “The excuse being proffered by the Rivers Sate Police Command is clearly an afterthought, as this was not the reason given when both the Escort Commander and the Camp Commandant, were invited to the police headquarters. This excuse was also not proffered when the governor personally called Mr. Mbu to complain about the removal of his escort commander. “Matters of personal security of government functionaries and especially, top officials like the governor of the state, are discussed and agreed with these officials. “Even if, for the purposes of argument, it is 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?
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 08:00:27 +0000