RVHA Speaker Faults Police Redeployment

Contrary to claims by the Rivers State  Commissioner of Police, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu that the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Otelemaba Dan Amachree had 24 policemen attached to him, the Speaker has stated that he only had three police details and an orderly for his official security .
The Commissioner of Police had last Friday at a press briefing in Port Harcourt alleged that the Speaker had 24 policemen attached to him, and that he had to withdraw nine extra mobile policemen, whom he said were in excess because of shortage of men for general patrol duties.
But in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, the Speaker, Rt Hon Otelemaba through his Press Secretary, Jim Udede-Opiki, clarified that the 24 policemen mentioned by Mbu include those on normal security duties at the House of Assembly complex on Moscow Road and others at the Assembly quarters behind the shopping mall off the Port Harcourt Aba Road.
He explained that the policemen withdrewn from the Speaker include the  principal security detail attached directly to the office of the Speaker, adding that ‘ only an orderly and three police officers were attached to the Speaker before the police commissioner’s withdrawal of security men.
According to him, the Commissioner of Police’s claim that the Speaker abused his privileged position by keeping 24 policemen in his service was completely untrue.
He added that the clarification became imperative in order to ensure that the public was properly informed on the development.
“The claim by the Police Commissioner that Mr Speaker has 24 policemen attached to him, and that he had to withdraw those in excess because of shortage of men for general patrol duties, is not true,” the statement said, adding, “the Speaker has only an orderly and three police officers attached to him”.