Police finally withdraw from local council secretariats in Rivers after over 100 days

The police in Rivers State have finally withdrawn their operatives from the 23 local council secretariats after over 100 days of manning them in the heat of the violent political crisis.

The police spokesperson in Rivers, Grace Iringe-Koko, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday morning, said the withdrawal was “in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.”

She said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, gave the directive for the withdrawal through the new Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Bala Mustapha.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State on Sunday swore in the 23 elected local council chairpersons in the state after a protracted fight between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister. The fight set off a turbulent political crisis that split the state legislature and disrupted governance in the oil-rich state.

This is how the crisis over the local elections began: the former elected officials of the local councils, most loyal to Mr Wike, had refused to quit office at the expiration of their two-year tenure. Governor Fubara went ahead to constitute caretaker committees to manage the affairs of the councils pending the elections, prompting the governor’s loyalists to violently chase the former officials out of the council secretariats.

On 18 June, the police announced that two people were killed during a violent clash between Governor Fubara’s faction and that of Mr Wike. The police also announced the sealing of the 23 council secretariats in the state “to forestall more bloodshed and prevent a further breakdown of law and order”.

Unsealing of the secretariats

With the police statement on Monday, it appears the crisis in Rivers local governments may be over soon.

“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,” Mrs Iringe-Koko, a police superintendent, said in the statement.

The spokesperson urged Rivers residents and “stakeholders” to remain calm and law-abiding as the “situation continues to evolve”.

“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.”

Days before the vote, tensions were high in the state as Mr Wike’s loyalists deployed several means, including lawsuits and violent protests, to prevent the election. Governor Fubara’s clash with the police leadership in Port Harcourt and Abuja further complicated the Rivers crisis.