Rivers crisis: IG ordered us to redeploy Governor Amaechi’s security details- Police

The Rivers Police said it only acted on orders from Abuja.
The Rivers State Police Command on Friday defended its role in the
ongoing Rives crisis, saying it was the Inspector General of Police,
IG, Mohammed Abubakar, that ordered the redeployment of the security
details of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The Rivers State Government on Thursday night through a statement
signed by the Commissioner of Information and Technology, Ibim
Semenitari, raised an alarm that the Commissioner of Police in the
state, Joseph Mbu was taking measures it believed were endangering the
life of Mr. Amaechi.
The state accused Mr. Mbu of making curious, discreet inquiries about
the governor's movements; and redeploying the police officer in charge
of Mr. Amaechi's convoy for failing to furnish Mr. Mbu with details
about the governor's movement.
While responding to the claims by the Rivers government, the
spokesperson for the Rivers Police, Angela Agabe, told PREMIUM
TIMESthat Mr. Abubakar ordered 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, its applicable to the 36 states in
the country," Ms. Agabe said
The state government also accused Mr. Mbu of compromising the
governor's security and safety on various occasions, saying that the
police boss in May allowed ex-militants to barricade the gate into the
Government House after parading major streets of Port Harcourt; thus
proving that Mr. Mbu held the governor in disdain.
Ms. Agabe denied the accusation and insisted that the police
commissioner could not have allowed militants to attack the governor
and would not do anything to jeopardise the governor's security.
However, the Rivers Information Commissioner, Ibim Semenitari, on
Friday, countered Ms. Agabe's "excuses"; saying they were hard to
believe. She said they were not the same reasons given when the
governor's Escort Commander and the Camp Commandant were summoned to
the police headquarters; and when the governor personally called Mr.
Mbu to complain about the removal of his escort commander.
"Even if, for the purposes of argument, it were indeed factual that
the Inspector General of police ordered the redeployment of Governor
Amaechi's Escort Commander, wouldn't the courteous thing be for the
Commissioner of Police and the police high command to inform and
explain this to Governor Amaechi?" she asked.
She then insisted, "On matters of his personal security, a governor
reserves the right to reject or accept security details as he may be
comfortable with."
She stated that the Rivers government was reluctant to accept what it
considers a lame and unsatisfactory argument by the Rivers State
Police Command.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who speaks
for the Nigerian Police and Mr. Abubakar, is yet to confirm the
reasons offered by Ms. Agabe. Phone calls and text messages to his
phone were not answered.
Mr. Amaechi, had, at the onset of the Rivers crisis, called for the
redeployment of Mr. Mbu from Rivers accusing the police chief of bias
in the political crisis in the state and of relative incompetence in
the discharge of his duties.