Rivers: IGP Orders Unsealing Of LGA Secretariats Following Fubara Swearing In APP Chieftains
Following the election and swearing-in of new chairman, the Rivers State Police Command opened all 23 Local Government Area Secretariats across the state.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the command spokesman, verified this in a statement issued earlier Monday morning.
She added that the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Bala, acting on directives from the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the immediate evacuation of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and defend the state council secretariats.
The secretariat was shut in June as a result of a disagreement between Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the immediate past local government chairmen loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The development occurred after Governor Siminalayi Fubara swore in 23 freshly elected local government chairmen in the state.
The process, held on Sunday at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital, follows a grassroots election conducted by the Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
Read the whole statement below.
POLICE ORDER UNSEALING OF LGA SECRETARIATS AND WITHDRAWAL OF DEPLOYED PERSONNEL WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
In light of recent political developments in Rivers State, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Mustapha, hereby conveys the Inspector General of Police’s directives, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, for the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the state’s Local Government Secretariats. This decision is consistent with the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to maintaining neutrality and the proper functioning of democratic institutions.
As a result, the IGP has ordered the opening of the Local Government Secretariats, which were previously guarded by police. The police will only be redeployed to certain places in the event of a crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be implemented immediately to restore normalcy.
The Rivers State Police Command assures the public that it is prepared to preserve peace and order throughout the state and will continue to act professionally in carrying out its duties. We urge all citizens and stakeholders to stay calm and law-abiding as the crisis progresses.
Grace Iringe-Koko (ANIPR) is a Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State Police Command.
For: The Commissioner of Police, October 7, 2024.