Rivers CP mingles with criminals – Amaechi

RIVERS State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, of mingling with criminals in the state.

Amaechi, who spoke at the maiden edition of Rivers International Fashion Week in Port Harcourt on Sunday, said the development had worsened the security situation in the state.

The governor explained that those that orchestrated kidnapping, killings, rape and armed robbery in the state in 2007, were fighting hard to come back to power in the state.

Amaechi added that the state would not allow the current commissioner of police in the state to take the state back to 2007 when crime was at it highest level in Rivers.

He recalled that the state government was able to fight crime from 2007 with the support of several police commissioners that came to serve in the state, adding that only Mbu had gone contrary to his (Mbu) function of securing lives and property.

The governor explained that the people would not allow those stealing the state’s resources to come back, adding that his administration was committed to protecting the state’s resources.

“Mbu is mingling with criminals, but no matter the number of police commissioners they send here, we will not allow the state to be taken over by criminals.

“We have been able to fight crime in the past and we chased criminals away from the state with the support of police commissioners who came to serve in the state at that time.

“But only Mbu has refused to support us in fighting crime. Those who stole the resources of the state are trying to come back, the government with the people of the state will not allow them,” he said.

However, efforts made to reach the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, to react to Amaechi statement, was not successful as she could not respond to several calls put across to her by our correspondent.

This further fuelled speculations that the PPRO had been removed over the alleged shoddy manner she handled the story of the release of the kidnapped Archbishop Ignatius Kattey.

The clergyman had said that the police were not responsible for his release contrary to what Agabe told the press.