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The Rivers State crisis is the result of disagreement between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his immediate predecessor, Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and their struggle for control of the political structure of the state.

Wike is believed to have helped install Fubara in power, but Fubara’s supporters accused the Minister of overbearing demands that limited the Governor ’s ability to serve the people. Wike’s camp accuse Fubara of abandoning his erstwhile benefactor and his supporters. The Wike group had earlier on recaptured control of the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s, executive council during the congress in August this year, an exercise the Fubara faction boycotted. Though Fubara remains in the PDP, he instructed his supporters to register with the little- known Action People’s Party, APP, towards the just-concluded Rivers State local government elections. An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, had curiously ordered the Police and other state agencies not to provide security for the local government election of October 5, 2024. This favoured the Wike faction’s intention to boycott the election. However, Governor Fubara chose to comply with a counter order by the State High Court okaying the election.

Despite protests from Wike’s group, the election took place amid police abdication of its constitutional duty, apparently in deference to the Abuja High Court’s order. The pro-Fubara APP candidates won 22 of the 23 seats and were promptly sworn-in.

The Police, which had sealed off the Local Government Secretariats, pulled out just hours to the resumption of duty by the newly-elected officials. Armed hoodlums went on rampage throughout the state. Initial reports had it that five people were killed while four local government headquarters – Eleme, Emohua, Ikwerre and Etche – were razed.

It is unfortunate that the Police chose to stand aside and watch hoodlums unleash terror unchallenged until President Bola Tinubu ordered them to restore order.
The Nigeria Police Force under Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, and the Judiciary, failed in the performance of their constitutional duties in this crisis. How on earth could a judge ask the police not to do their constitutional responsibility of maintaining law and order, especially in a charged atmosphere where two political groups are at daggers-drawn?

We call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to make good her pledge to fight corruption, especially conflicting court orders. Also, IGP Egbetokun has a case to answer for failure to do his job and creating an enabling environment for criminals to kill and destroy public property.

This is what happens when government agencies fail to do their jobs by imposing the law as required of them. This Police misconduct is unacceptable.