The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has said that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), as a responsible organisation, acted professionally in the recent political crisis in Rivers State.
He made the statement while fielding questions from newsmen during the IGP Conference with Senior Police officers in Abuja, the IGP on Tuesday.
The IGP, however, pointed out that the crisis was avoidable in the first instance but insisted that the Police stood by the side of the law.
According to him, “On the crisis in Rivers State, the Police did not do anything wrong, they were preparing for the local government elections and we were waiting when a Federal High Court barred the Police from participating in the election and a counter order came from the High court that Police should participate in the election.
“We have to pass the two orders to our legal department which advised that the police should stay off as ordered by the Federal High Court, with which we have to withdraw from further participation.
“Then the Commissioner of Police in State informed me that the State governor has deployed Police personnel from the Government House to the secretariat of the state electoral commission with the aim of going ahead with the local government polls and then we have gotten intelligence report about plans cause crisis and then we have to deploy personnel from the command to take charge of the place.
“Then, the elections took place and those elected were sworn in and the police had to unseal the local government secretariats to allow the new elected officials to assume duties.
“If we are to remain there after the elected officials were sworn in, the Police would have been accused of taking sides, we vacated the secretariats and then a crisis erupted, we have to return back to restore peace on the orders of the Mr. President to restore peace in the state.
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