RSG Denies Amnesty Report

The Rivers State Government has refuted reports disseminated by Amnesty International that security operatives in Port Harcourt shot at some residents of Bundu waterfront in Port Harcourt, killing one person and injuring others during an enumeration exercise in 2009.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari who debunked the claims of Amnesty International in a press statement, said there was no such incident of shooting in any enumeration exercise conducted by the state government.

According to her, “the truth of the matter is that there was no shooting and killing of anybody, and I say that with a great sense of responsibility. I have said that there has been a different claim of numbers, and in our profession, facts are sacred even though opinion may vary”.

Mrs Semenitari said those claiming that shooting took place had continued to brandish figures which range from 100 persons, 80 persons, eight and two persons as casualty figure, which continued to reduce as the days go by, noting that the real fact “remains that nobody was killed and no person was shot at”.

The Commissioner observed that while the Rivers State Government welcomes independent bodies to assess development indices in the state, “Amnesty International is either not in proper possession of the facts of the matter or they are being misled by some mischievous elements, or they are just refusing to listen to what the facts are”.

“The state government insists that every Rivers resident or person has a right to live in a habitable environment, free from any form of molestation, free from crime”, the Commissioner stated.

She explained that the development of the waterfronts was part of the state government’s urban renewal programme and expressed its commitment to executing the project to enable Rivers people benefit from living in a clean environment that is safe and secure.

“I don’t know where Amnesty International got its facts, we are however happy as a government to review new facts if those new facts are right, if there is any new information that Amnesty has, we will be happy to receive them”.

The Commissioner said the state government had earlier enumerated, paid and evacuated people from the Njemanze waterside without a single person being shot at, enumerated the Abonnema Wharf waterside and currently paying the full commercial rate for their properties without any problems, and wondered why government would begin to harm people at Bundu.

She maintained that the Rivers State Government does not have any record of shooting at people during the enumeration, as all citizens are entitled to the protection of the Government of Rivers State and the present administration is committed to ensuring that lives are protected.

“We will be happy to offer Amnesty International a year rent at any of the waterfronts of their choice both office and residential accommodation, if they so wish and if they consider the area good enough  to       live and show example that it is a habitable environment”, she declared.