Rivers’ council’s offices to remain shut, IGP insists
The secretariat of the 23 local government councils in Rivers State will remain under seal, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said yesterday.
According to him, the seal-off will remain until a decision of the court in the controversy.
The caretaker chairman appointed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and inaugurated on Wednesday started operating from makeshift offices having failed to access the secretariats.
Also yesterday, the Court of Appeal heard the cases and allowed the counsel of both parties in the House of Assembly, to adopt their written addresses.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) clarified his position, saying it only called for a state of emergency declaration, to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
Egbetokun said the police will continue to barricade the entrance of local government secretariats until the court verdict.
He said: “The Rivers State issue is in court. The police will wait until the outcome of the court case. Whatever the court decides is what the police will do. Yes, we have our men barricading the entrance of the local government secretariats as at now. We are doing that to prevent the breakdown of law and order in Rivers State. We do not want another person to be killed.”
