Mbu’s Landmine And The New Rivers Police Boss

The recent redeployment of highly controversial Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, by the Police Service Commission to the Federal Capital Territory Command has been described as a long overdue development that should be treated with cautious optimism.

Mbu was transferred alongside 12 other Commissioners of Police to various commands in what was described as a normal routine within the police establishment. He was replaced by Johnson Tunde Ogunshakin, the former commissioner in charge of Special Fraud Investigations Unit, SFU, in Lagos.

It is disheartening that in Mbu’s less than a year tenure in the oil-producing state, he supervised an official reign of impunity, lawlessness and virtual disrespect to the person and office of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi governor of the state, who also doubles as its chief security officer by the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

As an officer of the law paid from the people’s tax, Mbu failed to balance his partisanship and loyalty to the President and his wife, with his open antagonism of some people he perceived as the enemies of the first family.

Mbu allowed himself to be used as a zealous battle axe of the Presidency against the governor holding Rivers peoples’ mandate. To secure his job and get his boss’ backing, Mbu took his psychopancy to the extreme with an unnecessary frivolous newspaper advertisement to patronise the Inspector General of Police on the anniversary of his promotion alongside some Deputy Inspectors-General and Assistant Inspectors-General. These perfidious acts resulted in the call for his removal by some sections of the polity including the National Assembly, and this did not happen until last week.

It is therefore heartwarming to many when he was redeployed to the FCT. And to them, it was a case of good riddance to bad rubbish. But there are still fears that with Abuja as the new hotbed of various civil society and opposition protests, will Mbu, given his antecedent, not replicate what he did in Rivers State as the new commissioner in-charge of FCT Command? Will he not act again as a hatchet man who would disrupt any form of protest or gathering that is distasteful to the Presidency?

And for Ogunshakin, Mbu’ successor, who many have applauded for re-organising the SFU while under his control, he is expected to quickly restore the eroded confidence in the police in the state.  As the new Rivers State Command commissioner, we are of the view that it is expedient that Ogunshakin departs from the perfidious path toed by Mbu and rebuild the confidence of all the citizens of Rivers State. We expect him to quickly re-open a new line of rapport and communication with the state governor so as to restore peace and harmony in the oil-rich state.