21st July, 2010
The chairman, Rivers State Civil Service Union, Mr. Lilly West and other members of his executive have been suspended from office for alleged financial impropriety.
The allegation of financial misdemeanour was made in a report by the union’s internal auditor, Mr. Thank-God Olale.
However, Lily West, has fired back at the other faction of the executive for adopting unconstitutional means not known in the union books to suspend him.
He vowed that the alleged suspension is not only baseless but would not stand.
He said that the laws guiding the civil service clearly spelt out the procedure for suspending an executive Chairman.
The crisis started barely a month after unidentified gunmen shot and killed the Chairman Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Mr. Egobueze Anthony,at about 3 am, Friday 11 June, at the Rumukpakan axis of Port Harcourt.
The police said it received a distress call near Deepeer Life Church Mgbuoshimi but before they could arrive the scene, the hoodlums had shot and killed Egobueze.
The Rivers State Police Command through its image maker, Dr. Rita Innoma-Abbey said it was yet to arrest the killers at press time, while a full scale investigation had started.
Family sources, however, ruled out robbery because all attempts made to offer the assassins money or other valuables to spare his life were rejected .
—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt