The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to restore police security attached to the Rivers State Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Rivers state police command had withdrawn all its personnel attached to the state task force on road decongestion, illegal street trading and motor parks set up by Governor Nyesom Wike.
The officers were withdrawn after the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, led other senior officers and men to visit the family of the late female police Sergeant, Lovender Elekwachi, who was shot dead on duty at Eneka in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
According to the spokesperson of the Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni the withdrawal will enable the Commissioner of police to adequately review the deployment before deploying any officer to such operation to avoid a repeat of what led to the untimely killing of the female police Sergeant.
Meanwhile, the PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbodiyan, made it known that the withdrawal of the police from the Rivers Task Force amounted to politicizing the efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 in our country.
“The PDP further observes that the withdrawal of the police personnel will only lead to lawlessness as well as frustrate the genuine efforts of the Rivers State Government to ensure compliance to health safety protocols put in place to check the spread of COVID-19 and safeguard the lives of Nigerians in the state.”
“Our party acknowledges the efforts of Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, as well as those of other state governors elected on the platform of the PDP to flatten the curve in their respective states even without commensurate support from the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“It is our opinion that the order to withdraw security personnel from the task force of Rivers State, or any other state for that matter, is counterproductive and against the overall interest of our nation in this fight against COVID-19.”
“Our party, therefore, urges the Inspector General of Police to reverse the directive and support efforts by Governor Wike to check the pandemic in Rivers state, particularly as the state is strategic to the economic stability of our nation,” the statement read in parts.
