Nigeria Police have announced the dismissal of six officers from the Force, over alleged misuse of firearms during the December 10, 2016 Legislative re-run election in Rivers State.
Specifically, the Police said the affected officers, “while in the convoy of the Executive Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike on the date of election, December 10, 2016 (allegedly) misused the firearms in their possession contrary to the provisions of Force Order 237.”
Those dismissed are: Inspector Eyong Victor, Sergeant Peter Ekpo, Sergeant Oguni Goodluck, Sergeant Orji Nwoke, Sergeant Okpe Ezekiel and Sergeant Tanko Akor.
But the Rivers State Government last night described the officers’ dismissal as a human rights tragedy, because they were wrongfully dismissed.
Briefing journalists at the Force Headquarters yesterday, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Don Awunah, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “The Service personnel (allegedly) became overzealous, took laws into their hands and opened fire, causing panic in the crowd.
“They joined in storming the Port Harcourt City Council Secretariat and prevented the movement of election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre designated by INEC, in flagrant disregard and disobedience to senior police officers present at the venue.”
But, there was a mild drama shortly after the press briefing, as the dismissed officers kept shouting “injustice”, “injustice”, while being led away.
Two of the embattled men, who spoke briefly with Saturday Telegraph, said: “The thing happened on December 12; not on December 10.
“It was on December 12 that we were on the governor’s convoy. It is injustice; we are not criminals,” he said.
Notwithstanding, Awunah said their conduct was at variance with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris’ warnings, “that all police personnel on election duty should be of good conduct and desist from escorting their principals, notably public office holders and politicians to polling units throughout the period of the (December 10 Legislative re-run) election.
“The six police officers, after the conclusion of investigation into this public mischief, were subjected to internal disciplinary measures, found guilty and consequently dismissed from the Force.” They are to be prosecuted on charges bordering on electoral offences.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, while reacting to the dismissal in a statement, noted that: “The police officers were subjected to a secret and unfair trial, on totally fictitious charges of professional misconduct, during the rerun elections in Rivers State…”
He said the dismissed officers are victims of the dictatorship of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he described as incompetent and intolerant.
He said the dismissed officers did not commit any crime, other than stopping the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in collusion with the APC and the Nigeria Police Force from manipulating the outcome of the election He also said: “The claim by the Police that the affected officers misused their firearms while in the convoy of Wike on December 10, 2016, is a wrong and cruel fabrication.
“Governor Wike did not depart from his official premises on the day of the election, and therefore had no use for an armed convoy.
“Two days after the elections, on the 12th of December 2016, thousands of Rivers people, led by Governor Wike, resisted an invasion by the police on the premises of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council premises, in a brazen attempt to rig the elections in favour of the APC.
“The Port Harcourt City Council was the Election Collation Centre for the Rivers East Senatorial District.
“Throughout the period of the stand-off between the invading police officers and the thousands of citizens who resisted them, Wike and the officers around him conducted themselves with utmost restraint.”
New Telegraph
