7th February, 2014
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Government has absolved itself of masterminding the redeployment of the controversial Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mbu Joseph Mbu, saying his transfer was a normal police posting for senior police officers by the Police Service Commission.
Mrs Ibim Semenitari, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, noted that Mbu’s posting out of the state is strictly police Affairs which is routine because it is not only him that was affected.
She said the state government had no hand in Mbu’s redeployment.
Reacting to the long awaited transfer of Mbu following his alleged partisanship in the handling of the political crisis in Rivers State, Mr Andrew Martins, a public affairs commentator, said as far he was concerned, the transfer of Mbu out of Rivers State will put much pressure on his successor, Tunde Ogunsakin, who was in charge of the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
He said Mbu has laid out a lot of landmines for his successor. “Today, a group is accusing of him unprofessionalism, and another day another group is protesting that he must remain in Rivers State. All eyes will be on Ogunsakin to see how he will discharge his duties.”
On his part, Gabriel Amehule, a businessman said he was not happy that Mbu has left the state worse than he met it because of his method of discharging his duties.
Jerry Needam, the Special Adviser to Felix Obuah, the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a telephone conversation, said he had heard about the transfer but would react later.
Ahmad Muhammad, DSP, and the Police Public Relations officer for the Rivers State Police Command could not comment on the transfer.
He merely said the police do not depend on media reports to make official comment.
He said the command was yet to get an official signal if there was any redeployment of his boss to FCT Command, Abuja.
A statement issued by Mr. Ferdinand Ekpe, the Spokesman of the Police Service Commission in Abuja said the redeployment will be with immediate effect.
Three days before he was redeployed, Mbu had placed a blanket ban on all political activities in Rivers State citing increasing political tension in the state.