Rivers petitions defence minister, others over alleged plot by Amaechi to unleash violence

River State Government has petitioned the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and other relevant authorities not to release soldiers to former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, or any politician to interfere in Saturday’s election.

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, in a state broadcast, yesterday, explain that the state government wrote the petition based on intelligence indicating the plans by Amaechi and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disrupt Saturday’s elections in Rivers State with army personnel and civilian thugs and cultists dressed in army and police uniforms.

He said: “We have written to notify the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the General Officer Commanding the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, and requested that no military personnel is released to Amaechi or any other politician to interfere with next Saturday’s elections in Rivers State.

“Furthermore, we have noticed that the Anti-terrorism Unit of the state Police Command continues to provide VIP security services to politicians in defiance of the Inspector-General’s order to withdraw all police personnel attached to VIPs during elections.

“We, therefore, request the Inspector-General of Police to enforce his order by ensuring that all political leaders are restricted to their polling units and prevented from moving about with police escort.”

Wike said the state government expects the security high command to live up to their assurance of providing adequate security beef-up throughout the state to forestall security breaches or breakdown of law and order during and after the elections.