BREAKING: Gov. Amaechi’s life in danger, Rivers Govt cries out

The Rivers State Government on Thursday
night raised the alarm that the
Commissioner of Police in the state,
Joseph Mbu was taking measures it
believed were endangering the life of
Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
In a statement made available to
PREMIUM TIMES, the state Commissioner
of Information, Ibim Semenitari, accused
Mr. Mbu of making curious, discreet
enquiries about the governor’s
movements.
Mrs Semenitari also accused the police
commissioner of redeploying the police
officer in charge of Mr. Amaechi’s convoy
for failing to furnish him with details
about the governor’s movement.
“After redeploying the Escort Commander,
CP Mbu also requested the Camp
Commandant of Government House, Port
Harcourt, to give him prior briefing of the
Governor’s daily movement. A request
which in practice would be difficult to
comply with unless the Camp
Commandant gets prior knowledge of the
Governor’s movement,” the statement
said.
The commissioner added, “We suspect
that the request for daily prior briefing on
the Governor’s movement may be to
furnish strange persons with necessary
details of his movement and, thereby
placing him in harms’ way.
“At different times, CP Mbu has
compromised Governor Amaechi’s
security and safety, and even personally
led an attack on Government House, Port
Harcourt on July 10, 2013. As
Commissioner of Police, CP Mbu, refuses
to brief the Governor, who is the Chief
Security Officer of the state on the state of
security in Rivers State.”
Read full statement below.
Today, Thursday September 5, 2013, the
Commissioner of Police in Rivers State,
Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu redeployed the
Escort Commander, in charge of the
Convoy of the Governor of Rivers State,
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. The
redeployment according to CP Mbu was
because the Escort Commander had
refused his directive to “furnish (the CP)
with prior information of the movement of
the Governor.” The Escort Commander is
not in charge of the Governor’s Protocol
and cannot have prior knowledge of the
Governor’s movement, especially in the
prevailing circumstances regarding
security in the State.
After redeploying the Escort Commander,
CP Mbu also requested the Camp
Commandant of Government House, Port
Harcourt, to give him prior briefing of the
Governor’s daily movement. A request
which in practice would be difficult to
comply with unless the Camp
Commandant gets prior knowledge of the
Governor’s movement.
The Government of Rivers State is most
uncomfortable with these developments
and their implications for the security of
Governor Amaechi. This is more so, as
the developments are coming on the heels
of the Rivers State Police Command’s
declaration of Governor Amaechi’s ADC
(which is receiving medical attention) as a
deserter.
This sudden interest of CP Mbu regarding
the daily movement of Governor Amaechi
cannot be borne out of love. If his
intentions were noble and above board,
CP Mbu has Governor Amaechi’s
telephone number and could have
reached him directly to make the request
of prior briefing of his movements.
Alternatively, he could have written
officially to the Secretary to State
Government to make the same request.
This would be the first time, since
Governor Amaechi assumed office in
2007, that a Police Commissioner would
be requesting prior information of his
movement. This was not the case even in
the hey days of militancy in Rivers State.
As far as we know this is an exception
rather than the rule.
The fact that CP Mbu waited for the
Governor to travel out of Port Harcourt to
issue the invitation to policemen attached
to Government House is curious and
indicative of ulterior motives. His sudden
interest in the Governor’s movement is
suggestive of a more sinister motive.
CP Mbu has not hidden the fact that he
holds Governor Amaechi in disdain and
would stop at nothing to either harm him
or aid those planning to harm him. After
all in May 2013, he allowed ex-Militants
to barricade the gate into the Government
House after parading major streets of
Port Harcourt. He has even acknowledged
before the media that he found nothing
wrong in fraternizing with militants.
We suspect that the request for daily prior
briefing on the Governor’s movement may
be to furnish strange persons with
necessary details of his movement and,
thereby placing him in harms’ way