Why Mbu Must Go...Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Chubuike Rotimi Amaechi, has pleaded with the Police Service Commission, PSC, to immediately redeploy the controversial police commissioner,Mbu Joseph Mbu, from the State for his partisanship in the unfolding political crisis in the state.

Amaechi, who reeled out a catalogue of offences committed by Mbu against him and the State, said that the police officer, had compromised his post and professional ethics in the discharge of his duties.

The Governor’s allegations against Mbu are contained in a petition he sent to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro, which was copied to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.

In the petition dated July 9, 2013, Amaechi recalled all the atrocities committed by Mbu since he was posted to the state in February this year, culminating in last Tuesday’s shameful attempt to assist five out of the 32 members of the House of Assembly to assault the Speaker and his supporters.

Mbu unfit

Recalling that he had worked seamlessly with four  other police commissioners before Mbu was deployed to the State, Amaechi made it clear that Mbu was unfit to serve in a sensitive State like Rivers since it was too clear that he had opted to work against the interest and wellbeing of the people of the state.

The governor said that apart from taking side with those bent on causing trouble in the state, Mbu did not show appropriate respect to constituted authorities as demanded of his job as a police officer and should therefore be shown the way out of the state.

The governor noted, “The actions and comments of Mr. Mbu have shown that he is unwilling to support me to protect lives and properties of everyone in Rivers State.

“He has compromised our regular Security Council meetings leading to reluctance on the part of other members to speak up during the meetings and therefore rendering the meetings ineffective.

“Besides his disparaging comments and discussions of security matters with scant regard for decorum, he has destabilised the security apparatus in the State thereby supporting the return of some of the key actors in the cult wars that engulfed the State from 2004 up till 2007.

 “Sir, it has become evident that Mr. Mbu is not desirous of assisting us in our quest for a crime free and peaceful Rivers State. It is also evident that he lacks the appropriate mien and disposition required of such a highly placed officer of the law and is unable to appropriately perform  his functions as commissioner of police in Rivers State.

“I would therefore wish to respectfully request for his re-deployment from Rivers State in the interest of the people of the State and to restore the confidence of the people of Rivers State in the impartiality of the Nigerian Police.

“Regrettably, since after Mbu’s assumption as Commissioner of Police in February 2013, the security situation in Rivers State began to deteriorate due largely to his approach to the discharge of his responsibility as commissioner of police.

“Shortly upon resumption of duties Mr. Mbu began to withdraw police security attached to principal officers of the State for reasons that were different from those given by the Assistant Inspector General of Police of Zone 6 during a visit to me.

“Police security attached to the Governor, the Speaker, the Attorney General and key judicial officers were withdrawn without prior notice or justification. This was followed by a daily redeployment of divisional police officers and heads of departments who understood the security dynamics of the State and had held their offices with great commendation,” Amaechi alleged.

The Governor lamented that apart from ignoring pleas from him to work with him in order to strengthen the security of the state, Mbu unilaterally terminated the joint police/army patrol, which had been used as a formidable strategy to check violent crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery and car-snatching in Rivers State.

“Regrettably, while I was still making efforts to persuade Mr. Mbu to appreciate the peculiar challenges of the State and to adopt a cordial working relationship, which the State had enjoyed with his predecessors, Mr. Mbu began to exhibit conduct consistent with partisanship in the discharge of his official duties.”