Amaechi Raises Alarm Over His Safety

As the crisis in Rivers State deepens, Governor Chibuike Amaechi has raised an alarm about his safety following the withdrawal of soldiers and Armoured Personnel Carriers,APCs, attached to the Government House. Speaking on Thursday when the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration investigating the crisis in the state came to see him at Government House, Port Harcourt, Amaechi said that the government and people of the State are under siege. “Yesterday, they were shooting tear gas into Government House. When we were meeting with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) today, the Police claimed that it was inadvertent, that they shot tear gas into Government House. So, I asked one question, supposing, it was live bullet and it hit me, they said, ‘nooo, governor was not outside,’ but I said, I was outside, you can check”, Amaechi said. Amaechi whose state was rocked by violence at the State House of Assembly on Tuesday, also expressed shock over the sudden withdrawal of soldiers and APCs attached to Government House, stating that in the last two months, security commanders in the state have not held meetings with him. “We are under siege here, for two months now, we have not met with security men. Security Commanders in the state don’t come to me any longer. They are either scared or they don’t deliberately want to see me. They withdrew soldiers attached to me yesterday. And this morning, they withdrew the APC attached to Government House”, Amaechi said. Chairman of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration, Senator Kabiru Gaya had earlier said, the committee was delegated by the Senate to come to Rivers State and investigate, and find workable solution to the violence and disturbances rocking the state. He told the Governor that the Senate had a meeting or session where a motion was raised by Senator Magnus Abe on the state of the situation in Rivers State. And the motion was discussed. Senator Gaya said the Senate had two hours in the closed door session to discuss how best to sustain our stable democracy and how best “we could have the legislators perform their functions without undue interference”. He noted that the Senate had condemned the fracas that happened at the Rivers State House of Assembly. The Senate mandated the committee to investigate the crisis in the state and that the committee will invite other stakeholders. “The committee will hear from the Assembly members on both sides, including the Commissioner of Police, the SSS and the JTF.” Gaya said “the purpose of our mission is to ensure peace return in the state and to maintain good governance, so that the people in the state will relax and have peace.”