Amid the impeachment plot and crisis in Rivers State arising therein, the Nigeria Police has surrounded the State’s strategic appointments and built an outer security cordon around Governor Siminalayi Fubara with loyalists of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
Towards this, the Police has deployed Promise Wosu, the former Chief Security Officer to Wike who was inherited by Fubara but sacked last Monday, as the new Commander of Special Protection Unit (SPU) tagged Base 6 in Rivers State.
Wosu was deployed to head the special unit days after he was sacked as the CSO to Fubara.
His sack may not be unconnected with the move by some members of the State House of Assembly allegedly acting on the directive of ex-Governor Wike to impeach Fubara.
The SPU which Nwosu now heads in Rivers was established in 2009 to fortify security around VIPS and diplomats in the State.
Two other loyalists and former aides of the FCT Minister in the Police Force were also deployed to head the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and ‘Operation Sting.’
They are Irikefe London Owen, a former Camp Commandant of Rivers Government House and Emmanuel Nwakanme.
Operation Sting was a special state security outfit launched by Wike in 2019 as Governor of Rivers State.
According to sources, the move was to hijack all the security architecture in Rivers State in favour of the FCT Minister thereby making the impeachment of Governor Fubara a formality.
“Barrister Nyesom Wike, Minister of FCT had imposed the sacked CSO, Promise Wosu, Camp Commandant of Government House, Irikefe London and Emmanuel Nwakanma to head police tactical squads in Rivers State,” a senior police officer said in a message to SaharaReporters.
“This is to give way for easy impeachment of his successor Fubara. They are to head CTU, SPU and Operation Sting in Rivers State.”
A signal signed by AIG Olarewaju Yomi Oladimeji, Police Force Secretary and dated October 31st, 2023 also confirmed the posting of the senior officers to the various tactical units.
Last week, the political situation in Rivers became a full-blown crisis when the State House of Assembly began impeachment proceedings against Fubara who assumed office in May after Wike’s eight-year double terms.
The Governor is being accused of acts of gross misconduct unbecoming of his office.
On Sunday night, a section of the assembly complex was gutted by fire.
There were speculations that the fire incident was orchestrated to prevent the lawmakers from initiating impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
The Governor on Monday visited the assembly complex to inspect the level of damage but his convoy was shot at and teargassed by policemen.
President Bola Tinubu has since met with Fubara and Wike as part of efforts to resolve the crisis.
@SaharaReporters