We Provided Security Support For Abia Kidnap Rescue –RSG

Mrs Josephine Diete-Spiff on behalf of her husband presenting the best performing local government trophy to Chairman, Gokana Local Government Area, Mr Victor Giadom at the Rivers State House of Assembly Auditorium, yesterday.

The Rivers State Government has expressed concern over the verbal attack of the Abia State Commissioner for lnformation and Strategy, Mr. Anthony Agbazuare on the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi .

The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications Mrs Ibim Semenitari, who briefed newsmen while reacting to the statement, noted that it has been a long standing tradition in Nigeria that no matter what a governor says, it is not the place of any aide of any governor to respond to any governor.

Mrs. Semenitari, however, said that since a governor’s aide has been so brash it therefore became pertinent to draw the attention of His governor and the Governors Forum to Mr Agbazuare’s comments.

The Commissioner, who berated her Abia State counterpart for meddling into issues concerning security, an exclusive area for Governors without proper briefing and therefore displaying unpardonable ignorance for a government spokesperson, said Mr Agbazuare ought to have thanked the people and government of Rivers State for using tax payers’ money to aid the restoration of peace to Abia State instead of castigating Governor Amaechi.

“The Governor was only rendering an account of stewardship to the people, telling them as it were, how money belonging to them has been spent.

“Such uncommon novelty should be celebrated by my colleague in Abia as should indeed the support of the Rivers State government to solve the security problem in Abia State”, Semenitari said, and demanded an apology from the Abia State Government over the misleading vituperations by its image maker.

Mrs Semenitari said Governor Chibuike Amaechi in his open and transparent approach to governance had informed the people of the state about government’s investments in the various security agencies which brought about peace in the state and other neighbouring states and the said investments had significantly enhanced the quality of security personnel in the state.

“While Governor Amaechi is not the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, he remains the bonafide Chief Security Officer of Rivers State and clearly a responsible and responsive one”, Mrs Semenitari said, emphasising that the Rivers State Government collaborated with the Federal Government in the rescue operation of the kidnapped children by providing the intelligence and security support that was used to rescue the victims in Abia State”.

“The Security Personnel who moved for the rescue of the school children were from Rivers State. The intelligence was from here and the entire operation was planned from Rivers state. The facts are there”, she said, stressing that these security personnel were trained and equipped by the Rivers State Government

The State Commissioner for Information and Communications observed that the Rivers State Government had not only sent 300 police personnel to Israel for training, but it had supplied over 254 patrol vans, bullet-proof vests for the State Command of the Nigeria Police as well as gun boats, helicopter and security camera for other security agencies in the state.

The State Government, she said, had before now tried to entreat the cooperation of the Abia State Governor to end the reign of one Osisi Kanku in Abia but to no avail, noting that while the Abia State Government’s spokesman was insulting the Rivers State Governor, gunmen were attacking a bus in Aba, abducting all15 passengers and killing a pregnant woman.

“This is certainly not a way to safeguard a population”, the Information Commissioner said.

Mrs Semenitari expressed hope that peace had returned to Abia State, as claimed by her Abia State counterpart, believing that it would go a long way to reduce the high cost of rent occasioned by the influx of residents of Abia State who fled their state to Port Harcourt during the period Osisi Kanku and other kidnappers terrorised that state.

On the alleged insult to Nigeria’s First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, Mrs Semenitari said it was very unfortunate and worrisome for Mr Agbazuare to make such remarks, saying that Governor Amaechi and all Rivers people hold the First Lady in high esteem.

She agreed that except Mr Agbazuare was serving a secret agenda, there was no basis for him to villify Governor Amaechi

Mrs Semenitari called on the people of the state to remain calm as the state government was committed to facing the security challenges in recognition that “lives are sacrosanct”.