. As Fubura submits names of caretaker chairmen
A cop attached to one of the outgoing LG chairman in Rivers State has been murdered by irate youths as the Rivers State Police Command has taken over all the 23 Council Secretariats and some critical government infrastructure in the state.
Following the Local Government (LG) crisis rocking Rivers State in the oil-rich South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, unconfirmed reports says a middle-aged man belonging to a vigilante group also lost his live.
Though the details are a bit unclear, it was gathered however that the sad deaths which occurred in Omuma Local Government Area on Tuesday, might not be unconnected with the invasion of the council headquarters at Eberi-Omuma.
Confirming the incident to Channels Television, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said two deaths were recorded.
She said a policeman and a vigilante operative lost their lives in the crisis.
When pressed for further details, she said investigations have commenced and more details would be released soon.
Iringe-Koko said, “Conventional police officers and anti-riot police officers have been deployed to these facilities.
“While urging all groups and individuals to be law-abiding, the Command also warn anyone who intends to cause mayhem as we will not hesitate to impose the full weight of the law on them.
“We also wish to ask the law-abiding residents and visitors in the state to go about their lawful businesses without fear. We are resolved to carry out our constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.”
Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has convened a security council meeting with heads of security agencies following recent political developments in the state.
The meeting was held behind closed doors at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Governor Fubara told the press that discussions with the security heads centred on strategies to contain the invasion of local government secretariats.
Earlier on Tuesday, the governor directed heads of administration in the 23 local government areas to take over from the elected council chairmen whose three-year tenure elapsed on Monday.
However, 21 of the 23 outgone LG bosses have insisted that they won’t hand over, sparking some heated moments in the state
In a bew twist , Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has forwarded the names of nominees for the Caretaker Committees of the 23 local government areas to the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo, for screening and confirmation.
In a surprising turn of events, the Governor, just 24 hours after his statewide broadcast on Tuesday, directing Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to take charge following the expiration of the three-year tenure of former council chairmen, submitted a list of Caretaker Committee members to the State House of Assembly for confirmation.
The list comprises a Chairman and seven members for each of the 23 Local Government Areas.
Consequently, the Assembly, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, has invited nominees for screening and confirmation as Chairmen and members of Caretaker Committees in the state’s 23 Local Government Areas.
