Rivers State: APC backs Abe’s decision to sue Mbu

THE All Progressives Congress has backed the decision of the lawmaker representing Rivers South East in the Senate, Senator Magnus Abe, to sue  the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, and the immediate past Police Commissioner in Rivers State, Mr. Joseph Mbu.

Abe has vowed to take the two to court over the attack on him by operatives of the Nigeria Police before the commencement of a rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement on January 12, 2014 in Port Harcourt.

The lawmaker, who spoke with newsmen on Saturday shortly after he arrived the Port Harcourt International Airport from Britain, said he had informed his lawyers to file a case in court against those behind his attack.

But the Special Assistant to the Rivers State Interim Chairman of the APC, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, told The PUNCH in a telephone interview on Sunday that the party would support Abe in dragging the IGP and Mbu to court.

Eze explained that the peoples of the state expected the Nigeria Police to apologise to the senator and others attacked during the Save Rivers Movement rally.

“Rather than apologise to those attacked, Mbu said he only used minimum force against a serving senator of the Federal Republic and had remained adamant since January 12, 2014 when the incident happened.

“If Senator Abe had died when the police opened fire on him in Obio/Akpor, his (Abe) family would have suffered it more than the APC and since Abe was attacked while trying to be involved in  the APC’s event, we will support him to the end in any court case on the incident.

“We are backing him to sue the Inspector-General of Police and Mbu. In fact, the Nigeria Police should be sued for billions of naira over its actions in Rivers State,” Eze added.

He pointed out that if nothing was done to address the wrongs of the former police commissioner in the state, it was possible for any top police officer to come to the state and take similar actions against the people of the state.

Eze argued that since the country was not in a military regime, the shooting of rubber bullets and teargas at innocent Nigerians in a peace meeting was unnecessary.

“We are not in a garrison or a military regime and that is why we are  still surprised that the police could show such level of violence against the people of the state,” Eze added.

However, the Kwara State chapter of the APC on Sunday warned the incoming Police Commissioner in the state, Mr. Ambrose Aisabo, not to allow himself to be used to intimidate the opposition  like Mbu.

The state APC interim chairman, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, in a media briefing in Ilorin said the party would resist any attempt to use the Nigeria Police or any other security agency to curtail its constitutional rights in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He also said the party would not accept partisanship or bias for any political party by the Nigerian Police or other security agencies in the state.

Read more: http://www.punchng.com/news/rivers-apc-backs-abes-decision-to-sue-mbu/