Women Protest Invasion of A’Ibom Assembly Complex, Demand Removal of New Police Boss …As police commissioner absolves self from assembly crisis

Less than 24 hours after, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, and the state House of Assembly under the leadership of Onofiok Luke demanded the deployment of the newly posted state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Kimo, thousands of women in state on Wednesday protested against the invasion of the state assembly, demanding the removal of the new state police boss with immediately effect.

The women in the early hours marched along major streets to the state House of Assembly and Government House, calling for the sack of Kimo.

This is coming as the state police commissioner, Kimo, on Wednesday absolved himself of any complacency in the invasion of the state House of Assembly by some lawmakers and hoodlums.

The Police Commissioner, while speaking with journalists in his office, said he has no power to stop any lawmaker from accessing the assembly complex to perform his official duties.

According to him, “For us the Police Force, we have no right, no directive to prevent Mr. A or B from accessing the House of Assembly. It is only the competent court of law that can direct that.

“Policemen, apart from the DPO of the House of Assembly and personnel, there are the ones in the Assembly and no other policemen deplored there.

“But whenever there is violation or crisis, certainly we deploy men 500 metres away from the scene to be able to forestall and checkmate such crisis, and we have to ensure the lawmakers go about their duties without any form of molestation, intimidation or hindrance.

“How can we do that, it is when we are able to ensure that miscreants do not infiltrate the House of Assembly. We cannot successfully do that from the comfort of our offices. We have to be on the field. As at yesterday (Tuesday), that was what we did to ensure that hoodlums do not find their ways to perpetrate evil in the assembly.”

However, the state Governor, Emmanuel and assembly Speaker, Onofiok Luke, had lastTuesday accused the police of aiding the invasion of the chambers of the assembly by the ousted members and thugs allegedly hired by them.

Meanwhile, the protesters were led by the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Glory Edet, the state PDP women leader, Mrs. Mmeme Akpabio, and a former Minister of Lands, Dr. Akon Eyakenyi.

The women stormed the assembly complex at about 9a.m. to express their solidarity for the Speaker and the governor amid what they described as "intimidation by the federal government."

"For the sake of peace in this state, we want the removal of the state Commissioner of Police, Kimo, from our state. We have always had peace, and we want that peace to continue.

“We cannot have a police force that abets such level of illegality that we have witnessed in the House of Assembly. Introducing anything other than peace in Akwa Ibom State is alien to our people.

“When there is crisis anywhere, and women step in, there is always peace. This is why we have stepped in," the Women Affairs Commissioner stated.

Also, the Speaker of the state assembly, Luke, had while addressing the women, urged them to continue to pray for peace in the state and not to be afraid.

He charged them to rise at all times to defend the hard won democracy, noting that the state was peaceful until certain elements decided in August 2018 to declare "Warsaw" in the state.

The state police boss was last week deployed to the state in the heat of the invasion of the state House of Assembly by thugs allegedly loyal to the five sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the assembly.

Last Tuesday, the five former members of the assembly, Nse Ntuen, Idongesit Ituen, Gabriel Toby, Victor Udofia, and Otobong Ndem, reportedly led thugs to attack the state assembly in what the Speaker described as the most scandalous desecration of the state legislature yet.

The assembly however sat and passed a seven-point resolution ordering the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the break in to the chambers of the legislature and desecrating same.

The motion which was moved by the Assembly Leader, Udo Kierian Akpan, and seconded by the Deputy Leader, Ime Okon, in the plenary which had 21 lawmakers in attendance.

The assembly in its resolution banned the former members from going near the premises of the state assembly; passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Speaker Luke for his leadership qualities and for standing by the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Standing Orders of the assembly.

In the meantime, the assembly has asked the state Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to protect the institution of the House of Assembly and its members, warning them to desist from aiding and abeting the criminal activities of the sacked lawmakers.

It equally resolved to stand strong with the state governor and his government to continue to build a peaceful and stronger Akwa Ibom State.

The assembly equally urged the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, to immediately redeploy Kimo for allegedly aiding and abeting the criminal activities of the five sacked lawmakers and for supplying them with over 50 policemen to break into the state assembly.

On his part, in order to make peace, Kimo, who said he had served in the state before as a Squadron Commander of Mobile Police 26, assured politicians and political parties in the state of a level playing field , saying he will remain apolitical, non-partisan, just, responsible, reliable and professional in the discharged of his duties.

“We will operate with the fear of God with human face. We will be kind in our dealing with members of the public. We will provide level playing ground for everybody. Our doors are opened to everyone. We are to protect lives and property.” he said.