Rivers LG Caretaker Bosses Back Police Action, Kick Against Protests

The Caretaker Committee Chairmen of the 23 Local Government Areas in Rivers State have expressed support for the continued barricade of the council secretariats by the police.

The chairmen stated this under the aegis of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) at a briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Sunday.

The Chairman of the association and Administrator of Port Harcourt Local Government Area, Ezebunwo Ichemati, warned against protest at the council headquarters on Monday.

He said the protest is a sinister plot to cause anarchy and chaos to actualise the call for a state of emergency in the state.

Ezebunwo said, “The planned protest is not in the interest of the local governments and the state in its entirety. Rather, it is a calculated attempt by enemies of our dear state to paint the people of the state in bad light, unleash mayhem while at it, and use it to further buttress their inordinate call for the declaration of a state of emergency in our dear state.”

He explained, “We emphatically state that we, members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, and our people are in support of the police decision to take control and protect all local government council secretariats until further directive on the matter.”

Ezebunwo stated that since assumption of duty of the caretaker committee chairmen, no one tried to forcefully take over or gain access to any of the local government secretariats in line with Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s directive, until the police withdraw or removes whatever barriers put in place to protect government assets.

He added, “We want to categorically state that we are not in any way linked to the planned protest, as it is inimical to the progress and well-being of the people of the state, considering the sinister plots by some desperate politicians to take advantage under the guise of protest, to cause chaos and destabilise governance in the state.”

He called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to swing into action, and maintain law and order in the state.