IGP orders withdrawal of Police personnel from 23 Rivers LG secretariats

IGP orders withdrawal of Police personnel from 23 Rivers LG secretariats
By NEXTER
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police personnel stationed at the secretariats of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State.
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Bala Mustapha also directed the immediate unsealing of the 23 local government secretariats across the state.
A statement on Monday by the Police Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the move is in strict compliance with the IGP’s orders.
The unsealing comes just 24 hours after Governor Siminalayi Fubara swore in the newly elected chairmen, following Saturday’s local government elections.
“Consequently, the IGP has ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariat, 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 State Police Command assures 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,” the statement said..
NEXTER reports that the secretariats were sealed in June following the disagreement between the Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the immediate past local government chairmen, who were loyalists of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).