We Had Court Order Not To Protect Lives, Properties During Rivers LGA Elections - IGP https://osazuwaakonedo.news/we-had-court-order-not-to-protect-lives-properties-during-rivers-lga-elections-igp/05/10/2024/ #Issues #Egbetokun #Fubara #Igp #Kayode #NPF #Nyesom #Police #Rivers #RSIEC #Siminalayi #Wike Published: October 5th, 2024 Reshared: October 8, 2024 3:45 pm
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00:00Nigeria Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has said that the Nigeria police force was served with a court order not to provide security in the Saturday River State local government elections which apparently means the court ordered the police institution not to be allied to its constitutional and institutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties most importantly during conflict of interest or dispute.
00:26The police boasted this in a press statement issued on Friday by the first public relations officer, Olumiwa Adejebi in reaction to the statements of the River State Governor, Fubara Siminalai who had accused the IGP of trying to stop or disrupt the election.
00:44Fubara had early morning night on Friday about 1am stormed the premises of River State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC to ask the police team deployed to the facility by the IGP to leave.
00:58According to the IGP, he decided to withdraw the River State Government House Police operatives the Governor sent to protect the RSIEC office with another set of policemen following intelligent reports as relayed to him by the Commissioner of Police in River State that there was an attempt to attack the building.
01:17IGP Egbetokun said the allegations made against him by the River State Governor was unfounded.
01:24The Nigeria Police Force has noted with concern the recent statements made by the Governor of River State, His Excellency Siminalai Fubara, in which several unfounded allegations were levelled against the Office of the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force.
01:41In light of these claims, it has become necessary to set the record straight.
01:46Firstly, it is important to clarify that there is a subsistence federal high court order barring the Nigeria Police Force from participating in the River State elections.
01:57This honour was duly served on both the NPF and the River State Government.
02:03As a law-abiding institution, the IGP instructed the Commissioner of Police in River State to strictly adhere to this court order by refraining from any direct involvement in the election process.
02:16However, in the evening of the 3rd of October 2024, the Commissioner of Police, River State, received reports that policemen from River State Government House have been deployed to the Office of River State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, to aid the conduct of the election.
02:35This 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 with policemen from the Command Operations Department.
02:49The mandate of the men from the Operations Department was to provide overnight security for the RSIEC to prevent any attack on the facility.
02:59It is also important to note that prior to this, there had been series of security breaches in the state following the spread of court orders and counter-orders and reactions to them by supporters of the different political parties involved.
03:14The response of the command to secure RSIEC overnight was therefore professional and supported by the Inspector General of Police.
03:22For emphasis sake, the policemen deployed to RSIEC from the Operations Department of River State Command on the night of the 3rd of October 2024 were with the sole mandate to protect the RSIEC office from attack overnight.
03:38This action was proactive and responsive to intelligence at the disposal of the state command.
03:44It is therefore shocking to see the state governor storming the RSIEC office at night, wrongly accusing the police on lawful duties, deriding the police institution and using unprintable words to describe the Inspector General of Police.
04:00The Nigeria Police takes exception to the unwarranted outbursts of the governor and particularly the weighty accusations which he falsely labeled against the Inspector General of Police and the entire Nigerian Police Force and advised caution and decency in the pursuit of individual political goals.
04:19Threatening to shed blood and to burn down the state because of a local government election is not acceptable to us.
04:26The Nigeria Police Force is committed to protection of lives and properties and will work with other security agencies in River State to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the state.
04:39To this end, the Inspector General of Police has ordered increased deployment into River State to beef up security throughout the state.
04:48Citizens of River State are advised to go about their lawful businesses, the IGP stated as contained in the press statement.
04:57Governor Fubara had also accused the IGP of trying to block the election from holding, saying the relationship the IGP has with someone in the state has gone beyond professional.
05:09The person, he could be referring apparently to the immediate past governor of the state who is currently the Nigerian Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Inyesu Nwikeku appeared to have had issues with the governor shortly after the governor took over office.
05:39According to what they call themselves, the Nigeria Police are coming to take over the premises of the River State Electoral Commission and I had to come myself to find out why such a thing happened.
06:02What I heard that one DC operation brought them here to withdraw policemen that are already here protecting this place so that new officers will take over the place.
06:19I have to say this in a very strong way, we have been taking enough nonsense from this institution. Everybody is aware of the court judgment and even the judgment as they call it, the ruling.
06:35Did the ruling specify anywhere that the election should not hold? He said, don't give voters register. What are we doing with it? Okay, police don't provide security. Don't provide security. Is this the same thing as blocking the election?
06:53I don't know what the relationship between Inspector General of Police and one person who claims he has so much power in this state. I don't know the relationship because it's beginning to go beyond the normal professional relationship.
07:08I said, the government wrote a letter with the judgments that we have to him and what he's acting on is what he called the judgment he got from the federal high court. Even at that, if we should go by that, the judgment in the federal high court, did he say elections should be bad?
07:32Did he say no election? Rather, he technically said, don't provide, don't provide. We don't need your security. We will provide our own security. But this election must hold. If you like whatever it is you want to do, do it. The election result will be declared. People will be sworn in.
07:58I say it here. What kind of a country is it? And when it comes to the issue of river state, it becomes different. You're not ashamed of yourself. You call yourself Inspector General of Police. Enough is enough. I will be here. If I go back and I hear anybody, I will come here. This is my property. And you don't have any power whatsoever to bar me from entering it.
08:23Just try it. That part of your history as a very wicked and fraudulent Inspector General of Police will include shooting for barra. I think I've given you enough respect. Well, let me say to all the river indigents, everyone residing in river state, election will hold. Election will hold. Anything that wants to happen, let it happen.
08:50We are here. I don't understand. Let me hear anybody. Everybody, just relax. Nothing is happening. We are ready. If we know that this is going to be the last fight, I will take it to the end. Thank you.
09:20I don't want to die.