Soldiers Invasion: RIVNESCA Drags Army To Court

The Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency (RIVNESCA) has sued the Nigerian Army at a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over the invasion and disruption of training activities at its camp last year November in Nonwa Gbam.
Also joined in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and the Chief of Army Staff in a suit before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
Two months after soldiers from the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Bori Camp invaded NYSC Orientation camp in Nonwa Gbam, venue for training of new recruits of the Rivers State Neigbourhood Safety Corps Agency (RIVNESCA), the management of the agency has instituted a legal action over what it termed “an illegal invasion” of the trainees camp by armed soldiers, apparently acting on “orders from above”.
Also joined in the suit now before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt is the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Chief of Army Staff (CAS) soldiers had in November 19, 2018 stormed the camp, chasing over 6,000 trainees undergoing orientation.
Addressing a coalition of Civil Society groups and newsmen in RIVNESCA headquarters in Port Harcourt during an interactive session, the director general of the agency, Dr. Uche Mike Chukwuma explained that the organ resolved to proceed to the law court to prove to the world that what the army did was illegal, unconstitutional and unacceptable to civilized and democratic societies.
“RIVNESCA was established by law and duly assented by the governor and it is a purely civil intelligence outfit which also exist in about 30 states of the Federation, and if by any means, the Nigerian Army was opposed to its established should have followed through the police or legal process to truncate its existence”, he declared.
According to him, “we followed due process, liaising with the police, civil defence, DSS, Man-O-War and indeed the army high command before the training session commenced. So there was justification for such level of impunity and highhandedness melted out to the trainees.
Dr. Chukwuma commended the civil society in the state for its boldness by protesting the army’s action against the agency, promising that RIVNESCA would never relent on its mandate as enshrined in the enabling law.
Earlier, the Chairman of the coalition of Civil Societies in Rivers State, Comrade Stonye George said the groups were in RIVNESCA’s office to ascertain why the operations of the agency were kept on hold since its inception.
Comrade George said the civil society would resist any attempt from any quarters aimed at truncating the vision of community policing in view of the security challenges facing the state.
The activist noted that it was shocking that Rivers State should be singled out of other states operating similar bodies just for political considerations, adding that the agency would surely improve the security architecture in the state.
Responding to questions from newsmen, Dr. Chukwuma described the army’s action as sabotage aimed at demarketing the state and promised that “very soon, the agency will commence operations in earnest”.

Goodluck Ukwe &Kevin Nengia