RIVERS State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, said, yesterday, that he dispersed the gathering of newly recruited teachers that wanted to collect their appointment letters in Port Harcourt, Wednesday, to avoid breakdown of law and order.
Mbu, who spoke at the state Police headquarters, said he acted on ‘security report’ that those at the stadium were allegedly hired to disrupt the peace in the state, adding that they were specifically recruited to embark on anti-President Goodluck Jonathan protest, as they were 18,000 youths in all.
The state Police Commissioner displayed some of the placards, allegedly recovered from the dispersed crowd, some of which read: Amaechi for Vice President 2015, North for President, Amaechi for VP and It is time for the North.
Lawmakers react
Meanwhile, condemning the action of the Police, member representing Asari-Toru/Akuku-Tori Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr. Dawari George, said it was shocking, adding “I cannot come to terms with what happened in a democracy and a society of law.”
Another lawmaker, Leyii Kwanee, Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, described the police stoppage of the teachers’ gathering as “fascist and totalitarian.”
Kwanee accused the Rivers Police of double standards in its security duties, saying “the Felix Obuah-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had been organising political rallies without being dispersed by the police not minding that such rallies were in contra-distinction with Independent National Electoral commission, INEC’s regulation and also capable of breaching peace considering the volatile situation in the state.”
They were hired— Mbu
Continuing, Mbu said: “The truth is that the state government is trying to keep the Police perpetually at work by distracting us.
“Those newly employed teachers, in quotes, were youths hired to carry placards and protest against the President.
“They were called to go there. Nobody invited the Police. My informant told me that they were not called to be given letters, but were given cardboards to protest against Jonathan.
“They tore these things into pieces (holding the alleged placards). We put them together. As a Commissioner of Police, whose ears are on the ground, I will always abort such gatherings.”
It’s impunity — Commissioner
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, described the action of the Police as another act of impunity.
She said: “This is the impunity we have been talking about in Rivers State. It is clear to Rivers people that this is the action of retrogressive forces, who are totally against development, because, it is the first time any government, whether state or federal is employing 13,000 teachers at once.
“I think they are afraid and worried that the people will actually see that work is going on. Otherwise, tell me why people want to cut short people’s smile? These are people that have been unemployed.
“Nigeria is crying about unemployment, education system is in a mess, and a government employs 13,00 teachers. Somebody chooses to treat this with levity and to tear-gasses the teachers, saying that the teachers were there to protest against President Jonathan.
“What is the correlation between getting their employment letters and President Jonathan? Why do people continually want to drag President Jonathan’s name into everything? Is there something they are telling Rivers people that we don’t know?
“Rivers people need to fight and ensure that this reign of impunity stops.
“It is clear that Mbu has an agenda to destroy Rivers State and Rivers people have to ensure it does not happen.”
