Police in Rivers on Wednesday refuted claims that they deliberately attacked the state’s Gov Siminalayi Fubara during his visit to the House of Assembly complex in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Fubara had alleged that some policemen shot teargas and used water cannons on him and his aides while on his way to assess the arson at the state’s parliament building. A trending video on the social media confirmed the governor’s claims and drew wide condemnation from Nigerians.
Spokesperson of the police in Rivers, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, however, denied a deliberate attack on the governor in a statement she issued in Port Harcourt.
She stated that anti-protest policemen deployed to secure the House of Assembly complex from further attacks were unaware that the governor was among the crowd approaching the facility.
“Following the receipt of credible intelligence reports on the intention of some armed group of persons to cause mayhem, particularly at the House of Assembly complex, armed police operatives were deployed.
“The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations (DC Ops) deployed the operatives going by the previous case of arson on the assembly building.
“The DC Ops personally supervised (the police operatives) to intercept the `hoodlums’ and to ensure the protection of lives and property within the assembly facility and its environs,’’ Iringe-Koko stated.
She added that during the operation, protesting youths numbering more than 100 were at the entrance of the assembly complex, and conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace.
“This led the police to deploy non-lethal crowd control equipment including teargas and water cannon to disperse the riotous and uncontrollable protesters.
“Some minutes later, another aggressive group of people approached the entrance of the complex and advanced toward the premises.
“The police, therefore, engaged them in a like manner but observed that Gov. Siminalayi of Rivers State, was in their midst,’’ she added.
The police spokesperson added that upon realising the governor was among the crowd of persons approaching the assembly building, the DC Ops immediately ordered his men to stand down and give the governor access.
“To this end, the governor and his entourage went inside the assembly complex to assess the level of damage caused by an earlier fire incident.
“It is pertinent to state that the police did not deliberately attack the governor, or even attempt to hurt anyone, let alone the Chief Executive and Chief Security Officer of the state.
“It is our most essential role to protect the governor, and as such, the news being peddled in some sections of the media is a misrepresentation.
“The presence of the governor at the scene was of great surprise and shock as there was no prior communication to the police about his visit to the scene,” Iringe-Koko stressed.
She explained that the usual protocol for any governor visiting a crisis area was to inform the police ahead to enable the latter to accompany and provide the needed security.
