Mitee Warns Against Politicising Crime

Human rights lawyer and former President, Movement of the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee has appealed to opinion leaders including politicians to avoid politicising crime.
Mitee who made the appeal while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt was reacting to the recent violence in some communities in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“I believe that we cannot we cannot continue this kind of politicization of crime. How does politics influence the insecurity that we are having, especially in state like ours?
He stated that such attitude was the bane of the Nigerian federation, especially going by social media comments by members of various political parties; even as he frowned on the frequent change of security chiefs in Rivers State.
“It seems to me that this is a classic example of what is wrong with our federation. Because if you look by social media comments you will even hear how which political persuasion any commentator he is.
“Those who belong to the party that controls the centre, any security breaches in the state they celebrate it as something that runs down the government in the state and vice versa.”
Mitee however, called on the Police Service Commission to partner the Rivers State Government in fighting crime effectively by reviewing the time frame in which commissioners of police in the state are changed.
“There is a perception out there that there seems to be some effort by political gladiators to say let us undermine this level of government. That cannot work in a system.
“How can you for instance see in a state that we cannot even say one commissioner of police maybe if he stays two years, he is gone, one year, he is gone. That cannot work,” the human rights lawyer stated.

Dennis Naku