Gladys Nweke
Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asserted that the Neighbourhood Safety Corps Bill as passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly on 15th of February, 2018, and awaiting the assent of the Governor of Rivers State, portends great danger in the area of security.
The APC maintained that as a concerned party in the peace enterprise of Rivers State, it is appealing to the Elders, Church Leaders, Stakeholders and the Federal Government to intervene and stop Governor Nyesom Wike from signing into law the contentious, contagious and diabolical Neighbourhood Safety Corps Bill.
The party in a statement signed by Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, the State Chairman of Rivers APC, and circulated by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, his Media Consultant, said that:
“Considering the bloodletting that accompanied the 2015 general elections without this type of legally approved militia group, should Wike assent to the bill, only God knows what will befall the State.
“This sinister bill that authorizes the Neighbourhood Watch (Wike’s private Army) to carry arms, enter, search and arrest citizens without warrants is mischievous, diabolical, evil, wicked and unacceptable”
The party lamented that allowing Nyesom Wike to formally arm his militia would not only pose severe threat to the security of everybody in Rivers State, including those urging him on in his sinister plot but will make the audacity, evil, satanic, autocratic and fascist regimes of Mobutu Sese Seko, Emperor Fidel Bokassa or legendary Idi Amin of Uganda to be Saints and Angels of their countries.
The party reminded the world in case they have forgotten that:
“We are talking about Nyesom Wike who in 2014 ordered his militia group to attack and stone the Northern Governors that were on an official visit to Rivers State.
“We are talking about Wike who ensured that the then-Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was so humiliated and embarrassed that on several occasions, he was prevented from entering the Government House.
“We are talking about Wike who proudly influenced five members of Rivers State House of Assembly constituting 32 members to attempt to impeach the then Rivers State Speaker, Rt. Hon. Amachree with Amaechi as a target”
The party further highlighted that:
“We are talking about Wike who rode to power on the blood of hundreds of APC members. Being allowed to have a legally backed private army that will turn Rivers State into a hell and make Yemen, El Salvador, Burundi and Pakistan paradise on earth” the party reiterated”
The party expressed shock that Governor Wike who claims that he has no money to award academic scholarships to our students or pay them their Bursary entitlement, could not pay Pensions or salaries of Civil Servants for over six months or employ any Rivers State indigene into any meaningful enterprise, could budget a whopping sum of twenty two Billion Naira (N22B) to buy guns and ammunitions to arm our youths to kill themselves.
“This is not only wicked but exposes Wike’s shallow understanding of the principles of governance and his devilish intentions against our youths,” APC said.
The party reiterated that Wike has destroyed the future of the youths of Rivers State by destroying the educational sector of the State and denying them qualitative and functional education but prefers through initiation of the Neighbourhood Watch bill to turn our youths into criminals by arming them to kill and constitute themselves a nuisance to the State and the country at large.
The party commended the Inspector of General of Police for directing that civilians, vigilante groups, neighborhood watch security groups, hunters, surrender their firearms with the licenses in 21 days as failure to comply would result in raids and clampdowns, followed by criminal prosecution for illegal possession of firearms.
In this regard, the party wants IGP Ibrahim Idris Kpotum to investigate the whereabout of the arms allegedly retrieved from the repentant cultists and militants which was publicly exhibited at the Rivers State Government House by Governor Wike.
The party maintained that they are afraid that some of the arms are been reserved to arm this contentious and contagious Neighbourhood Watch Corps.
Finally, it said that the Federal Government should by now know the security challenge that Wike poses and help to curtail this sinister plot before Rivers State is engulfed by the fire that Wike wants to ignite in Rivers State.
“The Federal Government should bear in mind that this particular bill violates the exclusivity of firearms to the Federal Government as is enshrined in the Constitution and that acquisition of guns, ammunition, and explosives are within the Exclusive Legislative List of the Federal Government, as contained in the 1999 Constitution, as amended”
It called on the Federal Government to save Rivers State from this sinister plot to destroy the State saying, “It is our firm belief that this bill is assented by the Governor, would do more harm”
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