The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has given the directive for immediate withdrawal of police operatives previously deployed to seal off the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
This is coming after a nationwide condemnation over the police chief’s involvement in the recently concluded local government elections in Rivers State.
The directive was announced early Monday in a statement signed and made available to newsmen by Grace Iringe-Koko, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command.
The statement reads partly;
“The newly deployed State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, conveyed the directives of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the Local Government Secretariats in the state.”
The statement stressed that the decision “is in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.”
The statement added that operatives of the police will only be redeployed to those areas if there was a crisis or breakdown of law and order, at which point emergency measures would be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.
It also assured the public of its continued commitment to maintaining peace and order across the state, while reiterating its professional conduct in carrying out its duties.
(Afripost)
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