IGP withdraws police from Rivers LGAs
Police
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police personnel earlier deployed to seal off the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
This was disclosed on Monday in a statement by the Rivers State Command Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko.
The order follows recent political developments in Rivers State.
The statement reads in part, “The newly deployed State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, conveyed the directives of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the Local Government Secretariats in the state.
“The decision is in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.”
The statement asserted that police personnel would only be redeployed to those areas if there was a crisis or breakdown of law and order, at which point emergency measures would be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.
However, the Rivers State Command assured the public of its continued commitment to maintaining peace and order across the state, while reiterating its professional conduct in carrying out its duties, urging the residents and stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding as the situation unfolded.
