21st January, 2015
Jamiu Yisa
Negative reactions and anger have continued to trail the redeployment of the controversial police officer, Mbu Joseph Mbu to Lagos State ahead of the forthcoming general elections by the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba.
Mbu, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, and 26 other colleagues were redeployed according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Acting Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, who described the postings as part of the on-going re-organisation.
The exercise takes immediate effect.
Mbu, the former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, had a running battle with Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Shortly after he was transferred to the Federal Capital Territory as CP in September last year, he described himself as a lion who tamed “the leopard of Port Harcourt” in apparent reference to the Rivers State governor.
As the CP in charge of the FCT, he issued a directive banning the #BringBackOurGirls coalition from holding street protests, but he was overruled by the then IG, Mohammed Abubakar.
The BBOG however sued the police and the case was decided in their favour.
Last week, Mbu threatened to “bring down” any community that killed policemen in the course of duty.
Reacting to his redeployment to Lagos, All Progressives Congress, APC, Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe at a press briefing at his office in Ikeja, accused the Federal Government of redeploying Mbu to Lagos for an ulterior motive.
Igbokwe, who kicked against Mbu’s posting, said the state was ready for Mbu, adding that the controversial police officer must understand clearly that he’s now in Lagos State.
“Mbu must understand clearly that this is Lagos. Since Lagos was created in 1967, it has been in the hands of progressives, not Rivers or Abuja. This a special state where the best minds live. This is the city of civil societies and the media. We know his antecedents and if he brings all his unbecoming behaviour to Lagos, we will retire him from the police.
“Mbu is known for some kind of jobs so, it is not in doubt that those who sent him to Lagos, brought him for a mission. We are watching, so before they make any move, we know where they are going. We boldly welcome Mbu to Lagos, but he should tread carefully. He should be careful. If he fails to heed our advice, we will run him down and he will go down. If he tries the threat and abuses he did in Rivers, he will regret them. If he brings those antics he exhibited in Rivers and Abuja, he will regret joining the force.
“We know he is not coming to do normal police routine duties, but we will advise him to drop all those excess baggage he exhibited in Port Harcourt. He was rejected in Rivers, so if he comes here to abuse a sitting governor, we will not take it from him. Governor Fashola is the Chief Security Officer of the state and if he abuses him, we will run him down. We will tell him that this is the city of both the electronic and the print media,” Igbokwe averred.
On the social media there has also been a deluge of reactions trailing Mbu’s redeployment to Lagos. According to Danladi Kure, “This redeployment must surely have some ulterior motives behind it. Why wasn’t Mbu redeployed to any of the PDP-controlled states in the South-West? Why Lagos? What are they planning to achieve? Rigging or what? Why even this time around that elections are approaching?
“So, because Mbu gave himself a title of a lion “who tamed the leopard of Port Harcourt”, then IG, who is an errand boy to Mr President, the leader and the Presidential candidate of the PDP, thought by re-deploying Mbu to Lagos, he will then come and tame the leopard of Lagos State, who, in their thought, is Tinubu, so that Lagos votes can easily be manipulated in favour of Jona and PDP?
“Anyway, let him come and claim one needless title here in Lagos. He will know that Lagos is not like Port Harcourt or Abuja. Lagosians are largely Youruba people with uncommon wisdom. They will never bow to any form of intimidation from Mbu. In fact, he will be the one to beg for his third redeployment to Borno/Yobe when the heat is becoming too much for him to bear in Lagos. Nonsnse!,” he stated.
According to Babatunde Oba,”let us welcome him to Lagos after that we should remind him that this is not Rivers or Abuja, this is where they call ‘EKO ILE’. He can’t do anything to us. Am so sure he will mind himself. He can make his money from police no problem about that but on election day by God’s grace he will be on sick bed.”
Kunle Ajisafe in his remarks, said, “with the history of Mr Mbu’s malpractices in River State, do Nigerians need to start worrying about the conduct of the election? Afterall, Mr Mbu has not exactly enlisted the confidence of Nigerians. One just hopes this is not a ploy to fabricate unrest during the election in order to rig it in favour of the PDP. Nigerians want change. Let it take its natural course.”
Segun Arigbajogun said: “I hope that this man Mbu will not toy with a very wild fire or volcano by toying or tampering with the elections of 2015. If he tries to be the attack dog of Jonathan and the PDP in his new posting as he was used as an an attack dog of Patience against Amaechi in Rivers State, then he will have nobody to blame but himself.
“It is a known axiom that if you want to upset the political apple cart of politics in Nigeria as a whole, then mess up with the West. Mbu do not say that you were not put on notice or that you were not warned.”
Aina Olasunkanmi queried why Mbu was not sent to Maiduguri, Damaturu, Chibok or Gwoza if he claims he his the lion that can tame the leopard.
“Let him tame those Boko Haram boys. I believe he will learn some lessons in Lagos.
Aminu Umar said: “why not send him to Kano which is closer to Abuja than Lagos? If you like divide him into the number of Nigerian states and post him for election malpractices, PDP most go for sure. Buhari this time around is like hurricane. Lagosians don’t tolerate shit.”
According to Tobiloba Abegunde, “the last days of Mbu in the police are near. He cannot and will not change the course or pattern of voting in the southwest or here in Lagos. This place is not Rivers State. By the way, am sure he will go with Jonathan, as soon as Jonathan loses the election, he will honourably tender his resignation letter, otherwise he will spend his remaining days in jail.
“All this transfer will not help PDP because the level of support for APC candidate is just growing minute by minute. Mbu you are warned. Lagos and Ogun are different, don’t take Nigeria back to the 1960s wetiee era.
Oladipo Akanmu said: “Mbu the GEJ policeman, welcome to Lagos the Centre of Excellence. I am sure you don’t want to play all the politics you played in Rivers and Abuja with Lagosians or else you will ask for transfer yourself. It’s better you behave yourself or else you will learn a lesson you haven’t learnt in your career!”