IGP must investigate attempt to abduct Nunieh - Wike

Dr Joy Nunieh entering Governor Nyesom Wike’s official car after her rescue.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the circumstances that led to over 50 armed policemen storming the Port Harcourt residence of former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Joy Nunieh at 4am on Thursday, in a bid to abduct her.

Wike had stormed the house to rescue Nunieh and took her away.

Wike berated those self-styled armed policemen who claimed to be members of the Inspector General Monitoring Unit.

The governor said under a civilised society, the proper thing to do was to invite her to answer to any allegation.

But to storm her residence at such an unholy hour, the governor said, suggested some sinister motive that should not be tolerated.

“What has happened today is a disgrace. Who knows what would have happened to her if they had gained access to her main room. I went there personally to see things for myself and rescued her.

“She is supposed to testify before the House of Representatives Committee and here we are having armed men wanting to abduct her.

“We came out to protect our daughter and we will do so to every Rivers citizen. That is the oath of office I swore to. It doesn’t matter the political affiliation. We will not allow anybody to destroy Rivers state.

“It is so unfortunate and I cry for this country concerning the ways things are going. They didn’t have a warrant of arrest, but would storm somebody’s house, in fact, the State Commissioner of Police is not aware.

“So, tell me how something will happen in a state and the Commissioner of Police is not aware. They said it’s the Inspector General Monitoring Unit. So, we have such a Unit taking over the responsibility of crime fighting in a state and the Commissioner of Police is not aware. I can also assume too that the Inspector General of Police is not aware. He should investigate it, ” he said.

The governor also called on governors of states that make up the NDDC to ensure that their citizens do not have a hand in the planned abduction of the former Managing Director of NDDC.

“If there is any allegation of crime against her, I will not back her, but you can’t kill her for no established crime. I don’t know who’s responsible, but whoever is behind it should not take Rivers state for granted because we will fight back.

“From what has happened now, I want to say that Rivers State is fully out. Anybody who is responsible for this attempted abduction of our daughter, should know that enough is enough.

“They can’t treat her as a common criminal. I am sure that President Muhammadu Buhari is not aware of this. All the Niger Delta States should find out if any of their citizens have a hand in the unfortunate incident and call on such people to leave our daughter alone. She is no longer the Managing Director of NDDC.

“The way things are going now, it seems people want to destroy Rivers State and it is unacceptable. Using the police to carry out abduction of citizens should not be encouraged. A similar incident had happened in this state before when they wanted to use the same style to abduct a serving Judge,” Wike said.

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One Comment

Roberto says:

July 17, 2020 at 4:32 am

Everybody knows it was Akpabio that organised and executed the abduction attempt in order to cover up some of his corrupt activities that were about to be exposed. The big question is, how did Akpabio get the authority to use such a large contingent of the Nigerian police to carry out an illegal arrest without a court ordered warrant of arrest? Who was the commander of the police men that carried out the act, and how will they be dealt with? This kind of situations have been going on in Nigeria, where it seems the highest bidder simply employs the use of Nigerian police as their private security to effect the illegal arrest of citizens and take them to private detention locations where they are subjected to extra judicial detention, interrogations, and torture without affording their victims the rights to exercise their fundamental human rights. Nigeria is indeed a banana republic, where anyone with enough resources can simply gather police officers for the purpose of personal retribution without anyone saying anything about it. The next you know it that abducted person is dead, and the matter buried forever. It is high time corrupt senior police officers are sacked and made to account for the use of the police officers serving under them. Most of the officers used for these kinds of operation usually do not have visible identifications nor can anyone verify the dept or stations where they come from. They should be considered basically bandits in uniform. Police in any democracy do not operate secret services who just come in commando style to arrest citizens indiscriminately without legal cause or a clue as to the offence committed or where the victims are taken to. Those victims usually end up not being charged with any offence and some get released after a lot of effort, but some are not so lucky to get out with their lives. Nigerians are some of the most wicket set of human being you can imagine. Just put them in any kind of uniform and they instantly lose their minds and humanity. They act as zombies and brutes without gumption. This need to be checked by the so called IG immediately.