Rerun: Police Restrict Movement In Port Harcourt LGs

Rivers Police Command has banned both human and vehicular movements in the local government areas that constitute Rivers East Senatorial today,Thursday, 5 January to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conduct the rerun election for the disputed Senatorial District initially won by Senator George Thompson Sekibo of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP.

Rivers State Police Commissioner Suleiman Abba announced the ban at a briefing on the preparedness of the police and other security agencies for the election. At least 12,000 policemen have been deployed for the election.

The Appeal Court had annulled the result of the election following a petition by one of the political parties complaining that the party was excluded from the election.

The police boss called all members of the public to assist the police with useful information during the exercise.

The restriction of movement is between 10 am to 4pm during the election, adding that media men and those on essential services would be allowed free movement during the election period. However,in the early hours of this morning security personnel had blocked all access roads in Port Harcourt, the state capital, catching most travellers unawares.

In a related development, the Police Commissioner, said the police had smashed the gang behind a recent robbery attack in Port Harcourt, in which two staff of the State Traffic Management outfit, TIMARIV were shot dead by the robbers at D line while escaping the scene of the crime.

He said some AK47 rifles including a military rifle were among items recovered during a police raid on the gang’s hideout.

—Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt