The police in River State have warned against hijacking a planned protest by the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees following the closure of the 23 local government council secretariats in the state.
This came as the Association of Local Government of Nigeria alleged a plot by former Local Government chairmen and the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to carry out a protest.
The police in a statement issued on Sunday night by its spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, advised NULGE to suspend its planned strike to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
While noting the police will do everything to protect the lives and properties of Rives people, the security agency vowed to arrest and prosecute anyone or group trying to cause a breach of the peace.
The statement reads, “While the Command recognizes and respects the right to lawful assembly, it has credible intelligence that this protest will be infiltrated and hijacked by hoodlums seeking to cause disruption and mayhem within the state.
“Consequently, the command strongly advises the organisers to suspend the planned protest to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.
“The Police will take all necessary lawful measures to protect the lives and properties of every resident in Rivers State. The Command has vowed to apprehend and prosecute any person or group that attempts to disrupt peace.
“To ensure the safety and security of the public, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji, has deployed Police Officers to the Secretariates of all 23 Local Government Areas in the State. These officers will remain in their respective locations until the threat of disruption of peace is deemed to have ceased.”
In a separate development, the ALGON Rivers chapter has alerted security agencies, especially the police, the Rivers government, and the public on the consequences of the planned protest by the former local government chairmen and former members of the state House of Assembly and National Assembly members in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt on Sunday, ALGON Chairman, Ichemati Ezebunwo, warned that the protest was a sinister plot to cause anarchy and chaos with a view to destabilizing governance, and creating an excuse to actualize their design for a state of emergency in the state.
Ezebunwo said, “We are drawing the attention of the general public to the planned protest by the immediate past local government chairmen, former House of Assembly members, and National Assembly members loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, against the Nigeria Police Force manning the 23 local government councils across the state.
“The planned protest is not in the interest of the local governments and the state in its entirety. Rather, it is a calculated attempt by enemies of our dear state to paint the people of the state in a bad light, unleash mayhem while at it, and use it to further buttress their inordinate call for the declaration of a state of emergency in our dear state.
He explained, “We emphatically state that we, members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, and our people are in support of the police decision to take control and protect all local government council secretariats until further directive on the matter.”
