Rivers State Government has rejected a Police report on the attack on the convoy of Governor Nyesom Wike, allegedly by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, last weekend.
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, said in a statement, yesterday, that the report was a sad development for the Nigeria Police Force.
Okah said: “Two days ago, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed, in a statement, said the convoy incident was a minor accident and that investigations did not show how the outrider and his bike were knocked down, even though the man is alive and in his custody. He also said the governor was 400 meters away from crime scene but admitted that the governor’s chief security officer (CSO) queried some Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) officers who were around the scene. This is turning logic upside down.”
Okah further said the police did not investigate the matter, but acted a script written for it by SARS Commander, Mr. Akin Fakorede, who is AMamechi’s bosom friend.
“From the police statement, it is obvious that plans and strategies have reached advanced stages to eliminate governor Wike and the incident of last Sunday was manifestation of the plans of the police.
“It is wicked and wrong for the police to treat a state governor like a subordinate of a minister, moreso, when the police have been receiving tremendous logistics and financial support from the state government.
“It is deliberate falsehood for the police to say that at the time the outrider got to Nkpogu Junction and intercepted the Minister’s SUV Black Lexus 750 Jeep, the convoy of the governor was 400 meters away. It is even more satanic for the same police to say they did not know how the outrider fell from his bike, when everybody, including the Minister of Transport said he was the one who intentionally knocked down the bike and the rider.
“The governor’s convoy was a short one on that Saturday, and the outrider, who is the first part of the convoy, was certainly not up to 60 meters away from the governor. If the police were in doubt as to who knocked down the outrider, why did they not ask the rider, who they have since detained and are planning to dismiss from service for doing his job?
“While we agree that disciplinary action should be for erring officers, can the police commissioner tell Nigerians why he had refused to explain the presence of about 50 SARS’ men and their commander at the crime scene? Is the minister the owner of SARS?
Meanwhile, Ahmed has dismissed any threat to life, describing the incident as coincidence.
Said Ahmed: “I am aware that some altercations did occur around the scene of the incident. I wish to stress here that the lives of the two dignitaries were not threatened as a result of this minor traffic incident.
“It is of note that the meeting of the two convoys, at that point, was coincidental and had no semblance of threat to life or intention to eliminate any person.
“I want to make this abundantly clear that all acts touching on misconduct by any policemen in the course of this incident will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate disciplinary action taken against any person found wanting.”
In the same vein, the House of Assembly has vowed that it would take legal means to ensure SARS illegal activities in the state, stopped.
The House made the vow at yesterday’s plenary and resolved to formally write President Muhammadu Buhari on the security situation in the state.
These resolutions were based on a motion by the House Leader, Martin Amaewhule, over reported cases of alleged involvement of SARS personnel in criminal activities.
Speaker Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani said the House would SARS SARS ensure activities in state were stopped.
Owaji-Ibani revealed that the House would call the attention of the international community to what they described as “a threat to the security architecture” of the state.
Making reference to the recent clash between the security details of Wike and Amaechi, he worried that police image and professionalism had been battered.
He further said the security of the state is beyond the activities of SARS and called on the Federal Government and international communities to intervene.
Meanwhile, a member representing Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Constituency II, Nathaniel Owaji, has urged elders from Ikwerre extraction to intervene in Wike and Amaechi feud.
|Sun