Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector-General of Police, has cautioned Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State to desist from making “unfounded allegations” against him......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The IGP’s comment comes after Fubara said Egbetokun will be held accountable if law and order breaks down in the State.
Recall that the Governor intervened at the office of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in an alleged attempt by the police to remove materials meant for the upcoming local government polls.
The Governor accused the IGP of taking orders from Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to truncate the October 5 elections.
Reacting, Egbetokun, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said it was shocking to see Governor Fubara storm RSIEC office.
“The Nigeria Police Force has noted with concern the recent statements made by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, in which several unfounded allegations were levelled against the Office of the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force. In light of these claims, it has become necessary to set the record straight.
“The Nigeria Police takes exception to the unwarranted outburst of the Governor and particularly the weighty accusations which he falsely levied against the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Nigeria Police Force and advise caution and decency in the pursuit of individual political goals,” it read partly.
Adejobi said the force had been served a court order restraining the police from providing security during the poll.
The force spokesperson said the IGP ordered the Rivers police commissioner to ensure that the officers are not involved in the electoral process.
“However, in the evening of 3rd October, 2024, the commissioner of police in Rivers state, received reports that policemen from Rivers state government house have been deployed to the office of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to aid the conduct of the election.
“This report was also relayed to the inspector-general of police who gave clearance to the commissioner of police to withdraw the policemen from the government house and replace them with policemen from the Command Operations department.
“The mandate of the men from the operations department was to provide overnight security for the RSIEC to prevent any attack on the facility.
“It is also important to note that prior to this, there had been a series of security breaches in the state following the spate of court orders and counter orders and reactions to them by supporters of the different political parties involved.
“The response of the command to secure RSIEC overnight was therefore professional and supported by the Inspector-General of Police.
“For emphasis sake, the policemen deployed to RSIEC from the operations department of Rivers State Command on the night of 3rd October, 2024 were with the sole mandate to protect the RSIEC office from attack overnight.
“This action was proactive and responsive to intelligence at the disposal of the state command.
“It is therefore shocking to see the state governor storming the RSIEC office at night, wrongly accusing the police of lawful duties, deriding the police institution and using unprintable words to describe the Inspector-General of Police,” Adejobi detailed.