…Alerts on Ensuing Declaration of
State of Emergency
 |
| Speaker, Rivers Assembly |
The Rivers State House of Assembly postponed its
legislative sitting slated for Monday, 6th May, 2013 on the basis of insecurity
and life threat decried by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree.
In
a press release, the Speaker said,
“Fellow citizens of
Rivers State and Nigerians, Two(2) days ago, we warned of the commencement of
the planned gradual collapse of security and democratic structures of our
state.
In their avowed resolve
to destabilize the state, a series of planned protest has been concluded by the
Abuja based politicians with the collaboration of some politicians and security
agencies in the state with effect from 6th may 2013 as a
continuation of the operation storm Rivers.
Consequent upon the
above, and as your elected representatives determined to save the democratic
structures of the state, lives and properties do state as follows;
1) That we are aware of plans to stall
the sittings of the house through disruptive and violent acts by 5 members of
the house intended to culminate into sporadic shootings and firing of tear gas
canisters by security agencies outside the chambers under the guise of
maintaining law and order.
2) That we are being inundated
with threats of arrests, assassinations and violence of all descriptions on the
persons of the Rt. Hon. Speaker and 26 members of the Rivers State House Of
Assembly.
3) That the names
of the Presidency have been used by these five members of the house in their
unguarded utterances and display of intimidation.
4) Therefore the scheduled
sitting of 6th may, 2013 is hereby postponed, and all citizens of the
state are advised to remain calm in the face of these unwarranted provocations.
We condemn in very
strong terms these planned war of dangerous attritions and actions to
destabilize our dear state and destroy its young democracy. We call on the
Inspector General of Police to cause an investigation into these brazen abuses
of office and the immediate redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu
out of Rivers State as we no longer have confidence in his ability to carry out
his constitutional duties legally.
The
speaker had on May 3rd, 2013 alerted the state of a security breach and “the first stage of the preparation of foreseen declaration
of state of emergency in the state with the invasion and subsequent sealing-off
and besieging of the Obio/Akpor local government council secretariat and the
clamp down on officers of the council at exactly 2.00 pm by the Commissioner of
Police Rivers State, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, through the instrumentality of the
Divisional Police Officer Rumuokoro Police Divisional Headquarters, while the
workers were going about their lawful duties, in total breach of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) and the Laws
of Rivers State of Nigeria.”
The
speaker also said that the House strongly
condemns the action by the Commissioner of Police, adding that “we are living
in uncertain times and can no longer be sure of the safety of lives and
property in Rivers State.”
Speaking
with the Police Public Relations Officer, Ben Ugwuegbulam, on what could have
been the reason for the shutting down of the local government, he said, “…the policemen were drafted to forestall a planned attack
on the secretariat by some persons. This was a test run of what they intend to
do to all democratic structures in the state. Ironically, a request by the House
for the deployment of police operatives to guard and protect the assembly
complex, earlier approved, were unceremoniously withdrawn by the commissioner
of police Rivers State command on 'orders from above.’
As at press time on Friday, 3rd May,
the premises of the local government council was barricaded by heavily armed
and ferocious looking policemen, the workers ordered out of premises and
the Chairman and members of Caretaker Committee were locked in, having refused
to vacate the premises without any valid instrument of law.
Action should be strictly taken against the hoodlum/s who claimed to or have displayed their fraternal activities in the hallowed chamber without due respect to the law and constitution of which he had an oath with .Such display was a mess to the society and world at large.He/they need to be suspended for using the mace on a fellow member after such steps then other decisions can be effected.
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