Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to maintain peace and order in Rivers State.
This, he said the force would achieve by continuous barricade at local government secretariats amid ongoing legal and political turmoil.
Following the violence which erupted across Rivers on Tuesday, the state police command took over all the 23 Local Government Council headquarters.
Supporters of the governor and the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, clashed at various secretariats on Tuesday.
At Eberi-Omuma in Omuma Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, a policeman and a member of a local security outfit were killed.
The clash occurred over the reluctance of the former council chairmen to quit at the end of their tenure on Monday.
The former chairmen said they would continue in office because the Pro-Wike faction of the Rivers House of Assembly had extended their tenure by 6 months over the failure of Fubara to conduct fresh local government election.
Speaking in Abuja while addressing journalists on the sidelines of a conference with Commissioners of Police and other senior officers, Egbetokun emphasized the need for preemptive measures to forestall any escalation of violence.
Egbetokun said the presence of the police officers was to ensure peace and order and not to intimidate anyone.
He said, “You are all aware that in what happened two, three days ago, we lost a police inspector. We are sad about that. We don’t want to lose more men.
“We don’t want to lose more Nigerians. We don’t want to lose more citizens of Rivers State. So we have a duty to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
“And that’s why we have our men taking over the secretariat while we await the outcome of the case in court. As soon as the court makes its pronouncement, we will remove the barricade. Thank you.”
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