The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, has led commanders of the sister security agencies in the state to Oyigbo Local Government Area where four police stations were burnt down in the wake of the mindless attack of October 21, 2020 by hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
It would be recalled that on October 21, 2020, at about 2130hrs, hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) under the guise of #EndSARS protests, invaded Oyigbo Area Command, Oyigbo; Afam and Umuebulu police stations, where they attacked the policemen on duty and burnt down the four police formations.
In the course of the attacks, over 50 vehicles were burnt, including one Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), killing two policemen who were hacked to death and set ablaze.
Addressing journalists at the Oyigbo Police Station, Mukan condemned, in the strongest terms, the senseless attack on public and private property, and noted that, “it was not only ill-conceived, but most unfortunate and an ill wind that blows no one any good”.
He said: “We have gone round and we assured the people that their security is guaranteed.”
He confirmed the killing of the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) Area Command by the hoodlums.
He said the DCO’s corpse was burnt during the attack.
“The DCO fell victim of the crossfire between the criminals and the police,” he said.
But he denied that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area, Suleiman Abdullahi, was killed in the attack.
He said Abdullahi was alive and going about his official duties.
The CP, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, condoled with the families of the officers who lost their lives in the attack, and pledged that the command would stop at nothing until the perpetrators of the dastardly acts were arrested and brought to justice.
He reassured the good people of the state that there was no cause for alarm, maintaining that “massive deployments have been made by the command, with complementary deployments by sister security agencies to guard against further breach of the peace and restore public confidence, with a renewed sense of security.”
The police commissioner used the medium to appeal to all aggrieved persons, groups, or ethnic nationalities in the state, to shun violence and embrace a more civilized means of ventilating their grievances, rather than being confrontational to the extent of destroying lives and property.
He enjoined residents of the state to remain calm and go about their lawful activities, and asked those in whose areas curfew is imposed to religiously obey same, as violators risk arrest and prosecution.
The places visited that were affected by the cross fire include, Sangana Street, Mile One Police Division, Onne Police Division, Afam Police Division, and Oyigbo Area Police Command.
It would be recalled that, last Tuesday, over 50 IPOB members allegedly stormed two police stations in the area, killing security men and set their bodies on fire.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana