Amaechi Threatens To Stop Funding Police Over Commissioner

Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State has threatened to stop its assistance in further equipping the state police command, as it is no longer devoted to securing the people of the state.

He disclosed this when members of the governing board of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), led by its chairman, Chief Gordon Bozimo, paid him a visit in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.

He also called on the Federal Government to help the economy and security of the state by replacing the current Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu.

Amaechi, who spoke on the security situation in the state when the chairman of the board, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), complained about the recent rise in kidnap cases involving corps members in the state, noted that security situation had nose-dived in the state since Mbu moved in.

It will be recalled that the relationship between the governor and the police commissioner had not been cordial since the political crisis in the state escalated.

Governor Amaechi further lamented the turn that the security situation in the state had taken since the commissioner resumed duties in the state, calling on the Inspector General of Police to consider the plight of the people who had been at the receiving end of the worsening security and redeploy Mbu.

“I don’t want a commissioner of police that will work for me, I want a commissioner of police that will work for the interest of the state, that will work for Rivers people. So, it is not only me that you should complain to, talk to the Inspector-General of Police and those who transferred the commissioner that was working in the interest of Rivers people.

“Port Harcourt is becoming unsafe and more NYSC members may be kidnapped, except they remove Joseph Mbu.  It will worsen when we (the state government) stop funding the police, because we will soon stop funding them.

“Mbu has been sitting with politicians for political reasons and the security system is down and out.  Since he came, we have never had peace. We have held security council meetings two or three times.  But before Mbu came, we used to hold security meetings two or three times every month.

We know where our corps members are and we know the level of security arrangement we put in place to protect them.

“We also send the SSS to watch over them.  We have equipment that monitors what happens where. The only way they will not kidnap corpers is to send Mbu back to where he came from and post us a commissioner of police that will serve the interest of this state,” the governor said.

Governor Amaechi further alleged that the target of those who effected the posting of Mbu into the state was to cripple the economy of the state.

“Mbu is a politician, because he attends political meetings with those who brought him to our state and there is no way you can stop that.

“The only way you can stop that is to ask the politicians in Abuja to withdraw their Commissioner of Police and allow us to secure Rivers State.

“My fear is that his stay in Rivers State is intended to kill the conducive business climate in Port Harcourt and the fast growing economy of our state,” he said.

In his speech, chairman of the visiting board, Chief Bozimo, observed that if the situation threatening the stay of corps members in the state was not curbed on time, it might create an image problem for the state.

“Three days ago, three of our corps members were kidnapped. I feel very worried because, if Port Harcourt is not safe, I don’t know where people will run to. So, we are imploring you to look at the problems and fashion out what we can do to nip the problem in the bud,” he said.