Rivers govt, police disagree over Amaechi’s security detail

THE Rivers State Police Command has denied monitoring the movement of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, just as it claimed that the redeployment of Government House police guards was not restricted to the state.
The state government, in a statement circulated on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, had raised the alarm that the police suddenly removed the escort commander of the governor’s convoy under the pretext that he failed to furnish the Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, with prior information on the governor’s movement.
But the spokesperson of the police command, Angela Agabe (DSP), told Saturday Tribune on Friday that the claim that Mbu asked for the governor’s itinerary from the redeployed escort commander and the camp commander was false.
She denied the allegation that the escort commander was redeployed for failing to give information, noting that the redeployment was a nationwide exercise, ordered by the Inspector General of Police, thus, it had nothing to do with Mbu.
 “Why would the commissioner of police, who has the mandate of protecting the governor, want to hurt him? Does he want to be the governor? That allegation is not true. The commissioner of police is not a politician. He does not want to take the governor’s place, so, why would he want to harm him?
“The redeployment of the policemen is pursuant to an order from the headquarters in Abuja and it was sent to all commands. All the state government houses are affected, so, the question of the Rivers State governor being a target does not arise,” Agabe said.
However, responding to the claims by the police, the state government, in another statement by Mrs Semenitari, described the explanation by Agabe as a product of an afterthought.
The government said the matter of security of government officials, especially the governor, was not such that could be done arbitrarily, but one that was discussed and agreed with the official who would use the services.
TRIBUNE