Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has advised police officers to stop being partisan in the lingering political crisis rocking the state.
He spoke on Tuesday at the Sharks Football Ckub Stadium in Port Harcourt while inaugurating and making a formal handover of 100 operational vehicles acquired by his administration to the Rivers State Police Command.
Fubara said police officers who take sides in the crisis to protect their vested political interests were creating enmity that would eventually hurt them.
The governor maintained that it is laughable if any of them think that protecting any particular individual or being one-sided in the political affairs to the detriment of the state amounted to professionalism.
He said: “I need to say this, so that you will understand. When you (Disu) came into Rivers State, and I had my encounter with you, I requested for only one thing: That I will never ask you to do what is wrong, so do what is right. Protect the lives and property of Rivers people. Don’t be partisan.
“We have seen those people that were partisan; how they ended. And, I am saying it here, to every one of you that is an officer that is being partisan: you will see how you will end.
“So, work in such a way that when your name is mentioned in this state, or your children come to this state, you won’t be scared. This is important.”
He charged them to conduct their operations as real professionals that had been trained so that they could be effective in the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of people in the state.
“The enmity you are creating, for those of you that are partisan, will live with you forever. So, I want to advise you, I have said it before, and I am saying it again: I will never ask any of you to do what is wrong. My appeal is: stand on the ethics of your profession, protect lives and property of Rivers people. Be fair to all.”
On the donated vehicles, he said it was as an achievement of the Commissioner of Police, whose idea it was to make such operational vehicles available for his command.
He explained that what he had originally planned was to provide very high-profile vehicles to all the security agencies in the state to enhance their operational capabilities.
He said: “But, the CP advised that he did it sometime in Lagos State; that we should adopt that model by acquiring these vehicles you are seeing here: the Toyota Sienna, Camry and Collora, and I bought into the idea.
“And why are we doing this? We discovered that the response time to crime scenes; launching attacks against acts of criminality, were slow because you (police) lack mobility.
“And what we just did was a first phase of support to the Nigerian Police. We also intend to come again to give you other sophisticated vehicles to support what you are doing”.
Fubara assured that as a state government, his administration would continue to support the police.
Speaking, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, described the event as a significant milestone in the ongoing commitment towards achieving the safety and security of the state.
He lauded Fubara for his unwavering support to the state command of the Nigerian Police Force, which had translated in their dedication to serving the welfare of the various communities.
