Rivers, Police Bicker Over Redeployment Of Amaechi’s Escort Commander
The face-off between Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, and the
Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, deepened yesterday after the
governor accused Mbu of putting up lame and unsatisfactory argument
about Thursday’s sudden redeployment of his (governor’s) Escort
Commander.
The governor, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and
Communications, Ibim Semenitari, described Mbu’s excuse as an
after-thought.
However, the police commissioner, responding through the Police
Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Angela Agabe, a Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP), insisted that the escort commander’s redeployment was
ordered by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar.
The CP said he is simply a professional police officer and not a politician.
Amaechi and Mbu have been at loggerheads since February this year
when the governor asked for the CP’s immediate redeployment, which he
described as the only condition for peace in the Niger Delta state.
He accused Mbu of taking sides in the state’s political crisis.
On Thursday, Amaechi said that Mbu redeployed the escort commander
because he refused his (Mbu’s) directive to furnish him with prior
information on the governor’s movement.
The NGF chairman noted that the escort commander was not in charge of
his protocol and would not have prior knowledge of his movement,
especially in the prevailing circumstances regarding security in the
state.
The governor pointed out that after redeploying the escort commander,
Mbu also requested the Camp Commandant of Government House, Port
Harcourt, to give him prior briefing of his daily movement, which he
said in practice, would be difficult to comply with, unless the camp
commandant gets prior knowledge of his movement. This the CP denied.
Irked by Mbu’s defence, Amaechi, through his information
commissioner, said in Port Harcourt yesterday that the excuse now given
by Mr. Mbu was not “the reason given, when both the Escort Commander and
the Camp Commandant were invited to the Police Headquarters (in Port
Harcourt).
“This excuse was also not offered 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 purpose of argument, it is indeed factual that the
IGP 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?
“On matters of his personal security, a governor reserves the right
to reject or accept security details, as he may be comfortable with. The
Rivers State Government, therefore, is reluctant to accept what it
considers a lame and unsatisfactory argument by the Rivers State Police
Command.”
On September 2, the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Rivers State Governor,
Debeware Semeikumo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was
declared a deserter by Mbu, over the July 9 fracas in the state’s House
of Assembly and also removed him (Semeikumo) as the ADC to Amaechi.
Semenitari described the CP’s action as another mischief, stating
that the Rivers police command was aware that Semeikumo sustained
injuries and had been away for better medical treatment.
The Rivers police commissioner maintained that the ADC to Rivers
governor was declared a deserter, following his alleged failure to
honour all lawful directives to see him and the IGP since July 10, 2013.
Mbu said: “The decision to declare Semeikumo a deserter followed
Section 398 (1) of the Police Act and the Regulation Cap 359 Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria 1990.
“The whereabouts of Semeikumo remain unknown to the police. IGP Abubakar has approved his declaration as a deserter.”
THE NATION
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