Uncertainty as IGP orders unsealing of 23 LGA hqrs

…PH LGA secretariat is open, free

Armed teams are said to head to some local council secretariats in Rivers State on Monday, October 7, 2024, to stop the newly sworn-in chairmen from taking possession. The Port Harcourt Local Council secretariat is however open and free at 10 am, according to eyewitnesses.

The Inspector-General of Police ordered the unsealing of the secretariats after 102 days since June 18, 2024, after the expiry of the elected local council chairmen and the coming of caretaker committees appointed by Gov Sim Fubara.

The Rivers State police also said they have moved in to investigate the alleged bomb attack at the headquarters of one of the contending factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state capital. The police have never cracked any of the bombings since 2023 when elections began, even where the bombers are wounded or killed in their own attacks.

Monday morning, October 7, 2024, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPR) in Rivers State, Grace Iringe-Koko, announced the unsealing, saying IGP Kayode Egbetokun ordered it. She said the police thus unsealed the 23 local government headquarters.

The IGP ordered police officers deployed to the council headquarters to vacate with immediate effect, after the conduct of the local government elections on Saturday, as the newly sworn-in democratically elected local government chairmen, their deputies and councillors are expected to resume office across the 23 councils today.

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The newly deployed Commissioner of Police to Rivers State, CP Bala Mustapha, conveyed the directives of the IGP in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the PPRO.

The new CP said the decision was in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.

The statement reads in part; “Consequently, the IGP has ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariats, which were earlier secured by police personnel. The police will only be redeployed to these locations in the event of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.”

The Rivers Police Command however assured the public of its readiness to maintain peace and order across the state and will continue to act professionally in discharging its duties. We urge all residents and stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding as the situation continues to evolve.
Observers of police work in the state are however unsure if the act was with good intentions.

Meanwhile, rumours that armed groups had been procured by a top politician to stop the new local council leaders from accessing the councils had been in the open since Sunday afternoon. It will be difficult to believe that the police did not hear the rumours.

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The Police however said they would come back if the breakdown of the law took place.

Already, a shooting has been heard in Bori in Khana local council headquarters of the state. Armed men were said to have ambushed elected persons going to take over a facility at Bori.

The police have also said it is investigating the bombing of the APC faction’s office on Aa Road, though officials of the Action Peoples Party (APP) that had been attacked twice said police had not issued any statement on their own attack.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to the FCT Minister has threatened to head to court to unseat the newly elected council executives based on the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The party said as far as they were concerned, no election was held in the state last Saturday, October 5, 2024.

More developments are expected in the day as events are expected to unfold.