I’ve no powers to sack Amaechi’s ADC – Mbu

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013  

River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu

The Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, has said that he does not have the powers to sack the Aide-de-Camp to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Seimeikumo Debewari.

The state police command had on Monday declared Debewari a deserter for his refusal to obey directives from the force to report to the state Commissioner of Police or the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.

Debewari, who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was involved in the free-for-all that took place in the state House of Assembly on July 10, 2013.

The command also explained that the whereabouts of Debewari was still unknown since the fracas.

It pointed out that the video clips captured the governor’s ADC assisting the Leader of the House, Mr. Chidi Lloyd, to hit a member, Mr. Michael Chinda, with a mace.

But speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Mbu said he declared the governor’s ADC a deserter because he (Debewari) refused to honour the invitation from the Force Headquarters.

“I must say that I have no powers to sack him (governor’s ADC). I only declared him a deserter because he refused to honour the invitation from the Force Headquarters,” Mbu said.

Parading some suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and cultists at the state police command, Mbu said that the police had recovered over 20 vehicles from car thieves in some parts of the state within the past few weeks.

He listed the arms and ammunition recovered by security operatives in the state as seven AK47 rifles, three AK49 rifles, 10 locally-made pistols, one pump action, 170 7.2mm ammunition, 21 9mm ammunition, 59 cartridges, five magazines and two machetes.

Also recovered, according to the state police commissioner, were 17 mobile phones, three laptops, one 75 horse power outboard engine and a cash sum of N736,660.

He said men of the command recovered six Honda saloon cars, four Volkswagen saloon cars, four Toyota Land Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicle, one Hyundai SUV, one Murano SUV and one Mazda saloon car.

Mbu added that out of the 16 kidnap cases reported to the command, nine persons were rescued, including four Thai workers kidnapped at a fish farm in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the state.

He recalled that out of 60 suspects arrested by the police, 29 had been charged to court, adding that two kidnap victims died in the hands of their captors.

The police commissioner, who also spoke on the taxi driver that was killed by a prison warden, added that the case was under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has said that contrary to the claim of the state police command, a directive to redeploy the escort commander and camp commandant to Governor Rotimi Amaechi did not came from the Inspector-General of Police.

The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, had on Thursday raised the alarm over the withdrawal of the escort commander and the failure of the security details to furnish the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, with prior information on the governor’s movement.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday, Semenitari described the reason given by the state police command as “an afterthought,” adding that Mbu did not give any reason when the governor complained to him.

The statement reads, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to comments by the police command alleging that the redeployment of Governor Amaechi’s Escort Commander was ordered by the Inspector-General of Police.

“The Government of Rivers State finds this hard to believe as the excuse being proffered by the Rivers Sate Police Command is clearly an afterthought as this was not the reason given when both the Escort Commander and the Camp Commandant were invited to the police headquarters.

“This excuse was also not proffered when the governor personally called Mr. Mbu to complain about the removal of his escort commander.”

Semenitari stated that matters of personal security of government functionaries, especially top officials like the state governor were always discussed with such officials before any action would be taken.

She said the commissioner of police should have informed Amaechi of the development even if the IG indeed ordered their redeployment.

“On matters of his (Amaechi) personal security, a governor reserves the right to reject or accept security details as he may be comfortable with.,” Semenitari said

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH on the matter, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, said Rivers State is not the only state affected by the redeployment of police officers posted to Government Houses.

Agabe explained that other states like Taraba, Imo, Anambra and Delta, among others, were affected by the exercise.

She explained that the IG was not satisfied with the way “police officers were being posted like liaison officers to Government Houses.“

According to her, the directive indicates that the affected officers would seize to bear such titles as liaison officer, camp commandant, O.C. Bomb and other nomenclatures not given to them by the police force.