Inspector General of Police Visits Rivers State, Shuns Governor Amaechi

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, on Monday visited Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, without visiting the state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Abubakar was in the state to inaugurate 100 Prado Sports Utility Vans donated to the nine Niger Delta state Police commands by the Niger Delta Development Commission.

The IGP also did not address officers and men of the command, who had waited for several hours to hear from their boss.

However, the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Joshak Habila, addressed officers and men of the Police. He thanked them for coming out enmasse.

It was at that point that security operatives, especially those in their ceremonial uniforms, who had waited to mount a guard of honour, left in disappointment.

Also, journalists, who waited anxiously to get Abubakar’s views on the crisis rocking the state and the controversy surrounding the decision of the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, to ban rallies, left in disappointment.

A top government official in the state had told The PUNCH that the IGP did not pay a courtesy visit to the governor when he visited the city few months ago.

The official, who preferred to be anonymous, recalled that the Deputy Inspector General of Police paid a courtesy call on the governor .

Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, said there was nothing to comment on over the refusal of the IGP to visit the governor.

Iyofor said the decision of the police boss to visit or not to visit the governor was entirely his own (IGP’s).

On the part of the Police, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, explained that the IGP only went to inaugurate some vehicles at the Police Primary School in Port Harcourt.

Agabe stated that although, she could not say whether the IGP was in a hurry or not, she said Abubakar did not even meet the officers and men, who were waiting at the command.

"Even the IG did not see the officers and men that waited in the command. I cannot say if he was in a hurry, but he (Abubakar) only went to the Police Primary School, where he inaugurated some vehicles and later moved from there to the Airforce Base," Agabe explained.


PUNCH