Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced that police officers will maintain the barricade of all local government secretariats in Rivers State amidst the ongoing political tension.
He emphasized the rigorous standards expected of police officers and addressed concerns about the recent recruitment of police constables.
Egbetokun made these remarks on Thursday in Abuja while addressing journalists during a meeting with Commissioners of Police and other senior officers.
He stated that the police presence at the secretariats would continue until a court decision is reached regarding the tenure of local government council chairmen in Rivers State. The objective, he clarified, is to ensure peace and order, not to intimidate anyone.
“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,” Egbetokun said.
The state police command had earlier announced on Tuesday that it had taken over all council headquarters to prevent further violence and maintain order.
This decision came after a violent clash between supporters of the governor and his predecessor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, in the Omuma Local Government Area, which resulted in the deaths of a policeman and a local security outfit member.
State Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu, confirmed that the LG council headquarters would remain shut temporarily due to the ongoing clashes.
Egbetokun reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to preemptive measures aimed at preventing any escalation of violence.
In addressing the controversy surrounding the recruitment of police constables, Egbetokun highlighted the need for high standards.
He acknowledged the authority of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in the recruitment process but stressed the importance of ensuring that recruits are suitable for police duties.
“We recognize the power of the Commission to recruit for the police. We respect that power. And what we are doing is without prejudice to the powers of the Police Service Commission to recruit for the police.
So we have to be careful with the kind of people we recruit into the police. And that’s what we are saying. So we are not fighting anybody. We are not fighting,” Egbetokun stated.
Regarding calls for his removal, he added, “I won’t respond to a call for my removal. Anybody can call for my removal.
Anybody who doesn’t like me can come out tomorrow and say, remove the IG. That’s not a problem. We are all entitled to our opinion.”
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