The Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the secretariats of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Rivers State. This move comes after the officers were deployed to “seal and safeguard” the LG secretariats amid ongoing political rivalries.
The police spokesperson in Rivers Grace Iringe-Koko announced the directive in a statement on Monday. She noted that the newly appointed State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, conveyed IGP Egbetokun’s orders for the withdrawal of police from the secretariats.
The LG secretariats had been sealed in June due to conflicts between caretaker committee chairpersons aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and those loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Iringe-Koko stated that this directive is part of the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to ensuring neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.
Consequently, the IGP has also ordered the unsealing of the previously secured Local Government Secretariats. Police personnel will only be redeployed to these locations in case of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, with emergency measures to restore normalcy swiftly implemented.
The Rivers State Police Command assured the public of its readiness to maintain peace and order throughout the state, urging residents and stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding as the situation develops.
This decision follows Fubara’s swearing-in of 23 newly elected local government chairpersons, which comes amidst tensions between Fubara and Wike over control of the state’s political structure.
Fubara had previously alleged that the IGP was taking orders from Wike, a claim that the police have denied.
