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