The Police yesterday apologised to the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, over the action of some its men in the crisis rocking the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The police authorities assured that they would make amends in righting all the wrongs inadvertently made by its officers.
Also, youths, numbering over 2000, believed to be former militants under the umbrella of Rivers People Assembly, RPA, yesterday gathered at Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, chanting anti-Amaechi slogans.
The
new Assistant Inspector- General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone 6, Jonathan Johnson, acknowledged that police officers and men in the Rivers State Command might have made errors in the discharge of their constitutional duties in the recent political events in the state.
He applauded the gesture of Amaechi in improving the welfare and operations of the Police in the state.
Johnson stated this when he led a delegation of senior police officers in the zone on a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday.
The AIG said he had directed the state Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, to ensure that there was no security breach in the state.
He said: “So, we will take note of all these mistakes and we will correct them. I am assuring you, we will correct them. If there are lapses noticed, let us know so that we can make amends.
“And I also want to thank you (Amaechi) that for all you have done for us and the others that you are going to do. We shall continue to appreciate because you know requests from the police will never stop coming.
“Every human being that has served or is going to serve (the Nigeria Police Force) sometimes is susceptible to some errors here and there and when that comes to forefront, it is incumbent on that very particular person to say we shall amend.
“I know when these issues of withdrawal of security from some staff officers of yours came, there were agitations here and there.”
Johnson added that he had instructed Mbu to replace the police orderlies from the Anti-Terrorism Squad withdrawn from some top officials with policemen from the Special Protection Unit.
He commended Amaechi for showing understanding and support for the police, while promising to communicate this to his boss in Abuja.
“We have always been at the wrong side of history because of one thing or the other but you (Amaechi) show understanding in our mistakes, you show understanding in our service and that is why you’ve provided all these things.
“We remain grateful to you on behalf of the Inspector- General of Police. We say a big thank you.
“I must show gratitude because I’ve heard so much about your activities, when your government singlehandedly sponsored the development and training of our ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) centre here in Rivers State.
“We have it on record, your numerous activities of assistance to the command and to the mobile police force.
“I can also see what I have seen on the road yesterday, the new patrol vehicles here and there, that is to show your demonstration of love for the police force”.
The AIG promised to use trained policemen from the ATS to fight kidnapping and other vices in the state.
Amaechi thanked him and his delegation for their visit, but appealed to the police not to play politics with the security of lives and property of the people of the state.
“We should not play politics with security. The only responsibility enshrined in the constitution for both the President and the state governors is that we swear to an oath that we will protect lives and property and we are beginning to have that challenge in Rivers State.
“I want you to kindly convey to the Police Command that we are beginning to have security challenges in Rivers State and we should not forget that you may play politics with every other thing but one place you don’t play politics with is the security of the lives of our people who elected us to offices and it will not be to the interest of Rivers people if we go back to the era of 2005, 2006 and early 2007,” Amaechi said.
The youths drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state with white T-shirts and different inscriptions said they were tired of Amaechi’s style of administration, which they said had impoverished the Rivers people.
Also, another set of youths under the aegis of Peoples Democratic Party Rural Empowerment Advocacy Projects, PDP Youth- REAP, yesterday called for the probe of the governor and some principal officers of his administration.
The spokesman of the youths, Martyns Mannah, said: “Rivers people can’t stay and watch him (Amaechi) challenge President Goodluck Jonathan who comes from the South- South and desires to contest in 2015.”
Mannah alleged that the governor had sidelined the real owners of the PDP in the state and blocked those that opposed him.
He said: “We want Amaechi to tell us the whereabouts of the two jets Odili left behind and real owners of the Bombardier aircraft,” denying that the protest was sponsored.
The leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Force, Ateke Tom, and women who came in buses took part in the protest.
At a press briefing also yesterday, the group called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to “unravel the circumstances surrounding the ownership and documentation of the bombardier jet (owned by Rivers State) after funds had been duly appropriated by the state government.”
The state Coordinator, Warigbani Ezekiel, also condemned the activities of the state House of Assembly over the suspension of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council executive without recourse to due process.
Meanwhile, Mbu has banned demonstrations and rallies in the state, saying that any group that wanted to carry out protest must first seek clearance from the command.
He gave the warning yesterday in Port Harcourt at a briefing by Johnson, saying that the police would no longer allow protests in the state without its approval.
“From today, there will be no procession… Whoever does that without permission will be arrested,” he said, adding that the police would use minimum force to arrest defaulters for prosecution.
Johnson, however, backed the continued presence of policemen in the headquarters of Obio/Akpor LG Secretariat.
He also urged the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to see the commissioner of police on the alarm he raised over the planned assassination of Amaechi, himself and some top government officials.
“If that allegation is true, he has the opportunity to prove it,” the AIG said.
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