Rivers is not Part of Biafra Agitation, Wike tells Ag IGP

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has told the acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, that the people of Rivers State were not part of the agitation for a secessionist Biafra.

The governor, who stated this on Wednesday when he played host to the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Baba, at Government House, Port Harcourt, advised the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to pursue their aspiration elsewhere and leave Rivers State out of their activities.

Wike advised the federal government to invest in intelligence gathering, if it was serious about cutting down on the crime level in the country.

He expressed regrets that the budgetary allocation for the security agencies in Nigeria has remained poor, saying that most budgetary allocation were made for things that did not matter.

“We budget for things that don’t matter. This is because we have not taken security issues serious. Security is not only about purchasing equipment, there is training of personnel and good intelligence,” he said.

The governor also accused security agents of helping politicians to rig elections. This he said was the reason why political office holders often did not care about meeting the yearnings of the people.

Governor Wike reiterated that his administration would continue to support the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state.

He explained that support given to slain officers of the Nigeria Army, Police and Nigeria Civil Defence and Safety Corp in the State was to boost their morale in the fight against crime and criminality.

The governor said he has consistently advised every Commissioner of Police posted to the state to dedicate their time to fight crime, kidnapping and separate themselves from politics.

“It is incumbent on us to support the security agencies, because if we don’t support our security men, we can’t govern without security.”

The governor also charged the Acting IGP to make a difference, sanitise the police, fight criminality and create the required climate for the conduct of 2023 general election.

The Inspector General of Police said he was in the state for the launch of “Operation Restore Peace” in the South-South region of the country.

The IGP noted that lately some groups including the IPOB had applied a rather brutish method in their agitations and killed security personnel, which will not be tolerated anymore.

Baba thanked Governor Wike for financial compensation to the slain police officers in the state and other levels of supports that have strengthened the capacity of the state command of police to do its job.

The Acting IGP, who was accompanied by Commissioners of Police from Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo states, said if other State governors emulate Governor Wike in providing logistic support for the police, the county will benefit immensely from better policing.