EXCLUSIVE: Rivers Crisis: Rivers Police lied over redeployment of Amaechi’s security details

The Rivers Police had claimed they acted on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police.

The claim by the Rivers State Police Command that it re-deployed the heads of the security team of the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, based on the orders of the Inspector General (IG) of Police that top police details of the 36 state governors be changed is false, a GOTO INFO investigation has shown.

The Rivers State Government had complained of the sudden redeployment of major security details of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, accusing the state's police commissioner, Joseph Mbu, of putting the governor's life at risk.
In its defense, the Rivers police spokesperson, Angela Agabe, told PREMIUM TIMES that the Rivers police boss acted on the orders of the IG, Mohamed Abubakar, that all escort commanders, camp commandant and all other details attached to every state government house across the nation cease to bear such titles and thus be redeployed and replaced.

"A signal from the Force Headquarters said that all officers occupying such posts should, with immediate effect, be redeployed and replaced and it is not only in Rivers state, it's applicable to the 36 states in the country," Ms. Agabe said, a position she maintained even after facts proved the contrary.

The police headquarters has also refuted the claim.

The Nigerian police spokesperson, Frank Mba, denied knowledge of such directive from the police headquarters.

"Whatever postings that must have been done in Rivers State- I don't even know the postings that were done," Mr. Mba said.

The police spokesperson did not, however, fault the action of the Rivers police commissioner, saying "But I can tell you that those postings are operational issues, they are routine issues, they are strategic issues and they are done in the overriding interest of the Force, the nation and the national security apparatus of Nigeria."

Only Rivers
Checks by GOTO INFO also show that contrary to the claims by the Rivers Police, such redeployments were unlikely to have been effected nationwide.

In Ogun State, the Commissioner of Information, Yusuph Olaniyonu, told PREMIUM TIMES that Governor Ibikunle Amosun's security details remain intact and no changes have been made."No such change (of governor's security details) has been made; Didn't you see them all today with the governor?" Mr. Olaniyonu asked a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent in Abeokuta last week.

No such change was also made in Kaduna, the home state of Vice President Namadi Sambo.

GOTO INFO learnt that all the aides to the Kaduna Governor, Ramalan Yero, remain intact and have not been changed.

"This is totally untrue, and unfounded (the redeployment of security details). They are still serving with the governor," the Chief Press Secretary to Mr. Yero, Ahmed Maiyaki, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES via a text message.

The same situation also apply in Oyo, Niger, and other states where aides confirmed that security details of their governors had not been changed.

The political crisis in Rivers State has led to a public stand-off between the Rivers Governor and the state's police commissioner.

Mr. Amaechi, who is not in the good books of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, had accused Mr. Mbu of taking sides with his political enemies and called for the redeployment of Mr. Mbu.

In a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and the IG, Mr. Amaechi also accused the police commissioner of unprofessionalism and dereliction of duties as a member of the Rivers State Security Council.

Mr. Mbu has, however, defended his actions saying he has acted professionally at all times. He also and accused Mr. Amaechi of being a dictator.

"Our governor is very tyrannical, he is a dictator. He wants everybody to say 'yes sir' to him and I said I will not say so. I am a professional," the police commissioner said at a recent press conference.