12th August, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
A security expert and former officer of the Department of State Security, DSS, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe and the Rivers state government have disagreed over the cause of the deteriorating security situation in the state.
The state had alleged that security challenges rocking Rivers state currently is artificial and instigated by the All Progressive Congress in the state.
The state government had said Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration is aware of the ongoing moves by the APC to ensure that Rivers state is ungovernable so that the effort of the administration to realize economic prosperity and infrastructural transformation for Rivers people is not achieved.
Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the special adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity had in a statement alleged that both the secret and open actions of the APC, shows that it is obvious that the APC is seriously frustrated by the great success story of the Wike-led government and so is working frantically to ensure that the state is blackmailed as not being conducive enough, so as to scare away investors, but this will remain an effort in futility.
However, Sara-Igbe, who was the security adviser to former governor of Rivers, Peter Odili said that the poor security situation in the state was as a result massive arms that was shipped into the state before the elections which was used to arm the criminally-minded youths to do the bidding of politicians for election purposes.
The security expert said that as long as the guns were not retrieved from the youths they would use them to perpetrate crimes against defenseless persons in the state.
He refused to indict any political party for arming the youths but warned that security agents would be worse for it because they compromised during the electioneering period even when people like him raised alarm early enough in the media for them to checkmate influx of illicit arms into the state.
APC had denied the allegations of sponsoring wave of protests after the killing of a bus driver last week by a mobile policeman at the Whimpy Junction for refusing to part with N100.
But Chris Finebone, the APC publicity secretary had in a press statement dismissed the allegation as cheap lies.
Inko-Tariah had pointed out that the Wike-led government is unrelenting in its effort to ensure a safe and secure Rivers state for investors to keep coming and for the state economy to keep thriving as it is currently doing.
In keeping with this mandate, it has enjoyed the full cooperation and support from the security Agencies for which the Government donated some 64 Vans and other gadgets to fight crime and criminality in the state.
He said Governor Wike has renewed his pledge never to play politics with the life and property of Rivers people, including residents and investors.
He therefore reassured everyone doing business in the state of full government support and the enabling environment needed for investment.