Rivers CP doing his job professionally –
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar has given a clean bill to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, amidst calls by political leaders across the country, including the Senate and House of Representatives, for his redeployment.
Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has been making desperate calls for Mbus' redeployment accusing him of refusing to take orders from him.
But Abubakar, in what appears to be the first direct comment on the face off between Amaechi and commissioner of police, said that Mbu was doing his work professionally.
The Inspector General spoke in Abuja on Thursday.
The Inspector General said the police could not be dragged into politics as they were out to carry out their professional duty.
He said, , 'the situation (in Rivers) is okay. We are not politicians. We cannot be brought into the politics of this country. Professional police officers are supposed to do what they are supposed to do to protect lives and properties and that is why we remain where we are and we charge the commissioner of police to be a professional police officer providing safety and security for the good people and development of Rivers State.'
Abubakar also spoke on adequate funding for the police, noting that good times were ahead for the force as according to him, President Goodluck Jonathan was passionate about the welfare of the officers and men of the police.
While assuring of continued effort by police to ensure a crime-free society, he thanked Nigerians and the media for their cooperation in tackling criminality which he said has ensured relative peace in the country.
He added that the force would continue to place all hands on deck and collaborate with its partner agencies while creating a higher level of awareness for Nigerians to be conscious of their security.
Abubakar said that the police were taking measures designed to catch their officers and men committing acts of corruption.
He was reacting to the recent dismissal of a police sergeant, Chris Omeleze, caught on camera soliciting bribe of N25,000 from a motorist over a traffic offence in Lagos.
He said: 'You can see that we are IT compliant. We know what is happening in the YouTube, we know what is happening all over the world. And because we believe that we have to do what is right, we warn our officers and men.
'Sometimes we set them up to ensure that we get them in the act. And so whoever is caught in the act is dismissed.'
Abubakar, who stressed that 'I will not run a corrupt police service,' rejected suggestions that the dismissal of the police sergeant was harsh, saying that the police was ready to prosecute the officer as long as the man he tried to extort money from was willing to testify.