· Police High Command Distorting Rivers Security Architecture, Governor Wike Laments
Yet-to-identified gunmen in the early hours of Monday invaded Mgbuoshimini community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, killing at least 15 people.
In its reaction, the state government ordered the police to fish out the perpetrators while the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, lamented that politics by the police high command was distorting the state’s security architecture.
It was gathered that the gunmen stormed the community at about 3a.m., on Monday, shooting sporadically and leaving behing at least 15 persons dead.
Two youths were also killed in the community last Thursday by unknown gunmen.
The source of the attack was yet to be known as at the time of filing this report. However, an eye witness, who spoke with this reporter, said the attackers stormed the community around 3.30am Monday morning with heavy gunshots.
The eye witness, who gave his name as Alhaji Iliasu Bashir, and resident of the community, said, "Around 3.30am in the night I started hearing gunshots by Slaughter area in the Mgbuoshimini at the waterside. So this morning somebody called me that they have killed one of your brothers. When I went there I saw Nasiru who is our security at the Slaughter and when I checked on the other side I saw many corpses, up to eleven corpses.
"There is one uncompleted building behind, I don't how many persons that live there but they killed all of them and burnt the house. They said nobody should touch the corpses until the Commissioner of Police send in his men."
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni (DSP), said: "That was very unfortunate incident. Our men are already there. The cause of the incident is not yet known.”
He put the casualty figure at 10 persons dead and several others injured.
Omoni further stated that those killed may not be target of the attack as most of the victims were traders at the market. He said police had beefed security in the area.
In its reaction, the state government condemned the killings and charged on the police fish out the gunmen at all cost
In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Emma Okah, the state government said, “The State Government is ready to spare nothing to support the security agencies get these killers irrespective of where they are found. Even in their holes, smoke them out from there and you should have no rest until we get to the end of the case, until we see justice.”
He stated that the state would not give in to criminals and their sponsors.
While commiserating with the families of the deceased, he said the situation was unacceptable to the state government.
“This sad incident underscores the stand of Rivers State Government that security and crime prevention is the concern of everybody and should not be politicised so that the state can grow. A moment like this calls for a collective effort on the part of all.”
While calling on the public to stand up and cooperate with the police and other security agencies in their duties, Okah said, "Rivers State Government will continue to give the security agencies all the support they require to ensure the security of our state and reduce incidents of crime, he said, adding that to whom much is giving, much is expected.
Meanwhile, while receiving Course Participants of the National Defence College on Study Tour to Rivers State at the Government House Port Harcourt yesterday, the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, decried the politicisation of security in the state by the Police High Command, saying that it is negatively affecting the state’s security architecture.
He said the state was suffering certain avoidable security infractions because of the politics introduced in security management.
Wike commiserated with the families of the deceased, saying that the administration would continue to strengthen security, despite the acts by the Special Anti-robbery Squad to sabotage the state security architecture.
He said: "We had a security incident, I expected the State Commissioner of Police to be here to brief me and for us to plan to forestall a recurrence, but he will not come. He may brief me over the telephone.”
The governor reiterated that the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Commander, Mr Akin Fakorede, was specifically positioned in the state by the Police High Command to disorganise the State Security Architecture.
He informed that the same Rivers SARS Commander who was indicted by the INEC Official Election Report as being involved in the repeated rigging of elections, has been left in the state to continue to wreak havoc on the security architecture.
"We wrote to the Inspector General of Police to transfer those who sabotage our security out of the State, but he chose to leave them. Instead, the security saboteurs are busy participating in kidnapping and armed robbery with the use of SARS platform.
"Everyday people are crying on radio about their experiences with SARs, yet the Police High Command has refused to act", he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment