Opinion
IGP And His Embarrassing Partisanship

When I pitied the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, in one of my write-ups earlier in the year, it was simply because I saw very clearly a man who is out to destroy the Nigerian Police because of his disgraceful love for partisan politics. Indeed, because of his “covet” membership of the APC.
Like a man on a mission against the nation, this IGP has reduced the Nigerian Police to a gang of electoral fraudsters, bent on destroying the foundations of democracy, just because he has been conscripted to do his master’s bid.
IGP Idris, by any stretch of imagination, is the worst thing to happen to the Police. He has thrown away the garb of neutrality and adorned the broom of APC. Not even Oyegun and his failing friends propel APC more than IGP Ibrahim.
Today, leaders of the APC are his defenders; his ever present cheer leaders. In IGP Idris, the APC has found a ruthless partner, ever ready to help them cover their political weaknesses.
On December 10, 2016, Idris sent 28,000 policemen, 20 gunboats, police helicopters, horses, dogs and deadly snipers to manipulate the Rivers rerun in favour of the APC. Everywhere these compromised policemen went, they left a tale of ballot box snatching, deaths, robbery, injuries on electoral officials and unprintable actions on law abiding citizens.
The Rivers Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by one Akin Fakorede was turned into Special Election Rigging Squad (SERS). Wherever election was concluded, Fakorede and his men would rush there to either snatch result sheets or disrupt the result declaration process.
In many instances, these deadly policemen were caught on video manipulating the electoral process or shooting sporadically with the intention to rig.
On one particular instance, on December 12, 2016, Fakorede was captured on video at the Rivers East Senatorial District collation centre, attempting to disrupt collation of results and snatched same for the APC. The Police embarrassed Nigeria in concert with other security agencies.
No rerun elections took place in Rivers South-East where SARS and Army personnel overpowered electoral officials and took election materials to a private home belonging to one of the candidates of the APC. The deadly actions of the Police and the military in this senatorial district were captured on tape.
Rather than show remorse for his crime against democracy, IGP Idris lured hatchet online writers to unleash shameless negative propaganda against the Rivers State Government and her people.
He set up a kangaroo committee headed by one Damian Okoro to justify the Police descent into the political arena for the purpose of election rigging. The selection of Okoro was another fraud. IGP Idris mischievously placed an Igbo man in a position to authenticate his fraud. Aside Okoro, 80 percent of the members of the kangaroo committee were of northern extraction. They went ahead to dance naked in the public.
The Police killed, maimed and stole part of the mandate of Rivers people. Yet, it was the Police under IGP Idris that blamed the victim, Rivers people.
IGP Idris, before, during and after the rerun elections, acted as if he was a candidate running for elections in Rivers State. He toyed with the security details of Governor Wike and deliberately put an elected governor’s life at risk. He withdrew the governor’s Chief Security Officer, his ADC, orderly and majority of the security details to expose the governor to harm . He emboldened Akin Fakorede to metamorphose into an electoral terror in Rivers State.
On December 12, 2016, some policemen attached to Rivers State governor defied the IGP and stopped Fakorede from harming Governor Wike as instructed. The IGP summarily dismissed them and blamed the policemen for the electoral woes of his political party, the APC.
The IGP, by setting up the investigative panel, sought to become a judge in his own case. He wanted to become a saint, even in hell.
For the sake of protecting the nation’s democracy, Governor Wike, as a law abiding leader, approached the court to challenge the investigative panel set up by the IGP to justify the fraud and violence the police unleashed on the people of Rivers State during the December 10, 2016 rerun elections.
As the undisputed defender of Nigeria’s democracy, Wike took the step on behalf of the Rivers people.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2017, the Federal High Court in Abuja, declared as illegal, the Special Joint Investigative Panel that was constituted by IGP Idris.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole described the Police probe panel which included operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, as “a strange contraption whose existence will create legal doubt”. Justice Kolawole held that the 15-man Special Joint Investigative Panel is a body unknown to any law in the country. He maintained that neither the Police Act, Security Agencies Act nor the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowered the IGP to set up and co-opt the DSS which is not answerable to him but to the Presidency, into the Rivers re-run probe panel.
If the IGP has any modicum of respect for decency, he must resign his commission and formally join his friends and family in the APC. This declaration by the Federal High Court, in Abuja has brought to the fore, the damage that the IGP and his criminally minded colleagues in some other security agencies have done to the electoral system.
Why must IGP Idris be in the forefront of the illegal struggle to make Nigeria a one-party state? Why is the IGP ready to unleash violence on Rivers people just because they have pitched their tent with the PDP?
The IGP and those beating the evil drum for him, must respect the will of Rivers people.
Under the present IGP, the security situation in the country is degenerating daily, with the Police failing to act.
I like to remind the IGP that Nigerians still remember that he was the Commissioner of Police in Kano State, during the 2015 Presidential Election, where the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner was murdered in a questionable arson after fantastic results were churned out for APC. That result is still being questioned by researchers and the international community.
The Abuja Federal High Court judgment is an indictment on IGP Idris. He may have federal resources to sponsor online propaganda, but history will never be kind to him.
For me, the most important take away in the indictment of IGP Idris is the fact that he will soon account for the blood of Rivers people shed by his evil Special Election Rigging Squad ( SERS).
Nwakaudu is a Senior Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media.
Simeon Nwakaudu
Opinion
Restoring Order, Delivering Good Governance
The political atmosphere in Rivers State has been anything but calm in 2025. Yet, a rare moment of unity was witnessed on Saturday, June 28, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, appeared side by side at the funeral of Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, Wike’s late uncle. What could have passed for a routine condolence visit evolved into a significant political statement—a symbolic show of reconciliation in a state bruised by deep political strife.
The funeral, attended by dignitaries from across the nation, was more than a moment of shared grief. It became the public reflection of a private peace accord reached earlier at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. There, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought together Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to chart a new path forward.
For Rivers people, that truce is a beacon of hope. But they are not content with photo opportunities and promises. What they demand now is the immediate lifting of the state of emergency declared in March 2025, and the unconditional reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Dr. Ngozi Odu, and all suspended lawmakers. They insist on the restoration of their democratic mandate.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the entire structure of Rivers State’s elected leadership and appoint a sole administrator was a drastic response to a deepening political crisis. While it may have prevented a complete breakdown in governance, it also robbed the people of their voice. That silence must now end.
The administrator, retired naval chief Ibok-Ette Ibas, has managed a caretaker role. But Rivers State cannot thrive under unelected stewardship. Democracy must return—not partially, not symbolically, but fully. President Tinubu has to ensure that the people’s will, expressed through the ballot, is restored in word and deed.
Governor Fubara, who will complete his six-month suspension by September, was elected to serve the people of Rivers, not to be sidelined by political intrigues. His return should not be ceremonial. It should come with the full powers and authority vested in him by the constitution and the mandate of Rivers citizens.
The people’s frustration is understandable. At the heart of the political crisis was a power tussle between loyalists of Fubara and those of Wike. Institutions, particularly the State House of Assembly, became battlegrounds. Attempts were made to impeach Fubara. The situation deteriorated into a full-blown crisis, and governance was nearly brought to its knees.
But the tide must now turn. With the Senate’s approval of a record ?1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for 2025, a new opportunity has emerged. This budget is not just a fiscal document—it is a blueprint for transformation, allocating ?1.077 trillion for capital projects alone. Yet, without the governor’s reinstatement, its execution remains in doubt.
It is Governor Fubara, and only him, who possesses the people’s mandate to execute this ambitious budget. It is time for him to return to duty with vigor, responsibility, and a renewed sense of urgency. The people expect delivery—on roads, hospitals, schools, and job creation.
Rivers civil servants, recovering from neglect and under appreciation, should also continue to be a top priority. Fubara should continue to ensure timely payment of salaries, address pension issues, and create a more effective, motivated public workforce. This is how governance becomes real in people’s lives.
The “Rivers First” mantra with which Fubara campaigned is now being tested. That slogan should become policy. It must inform every appointment, every contract, every budget decision, and every reform. It must reflect the needs and aspirations of the ordinary Rivers person—not political patrons or vested interests.
Beyond infrastructure and administration, political healing is essential. Governor Fubara and Minister Wike must go beyond temporary peace. They should actively unite their camps and followers to form one strong political family. The future of Rivers cannot be built on division.
Political appointments, both at the Federal and State levels, must reflect a spirit of fairness, tolerance, and inclusivity. The days of political vendettas and exclusive lists must end. Every ethnic group, every gender, and every generation must feel included in the new Rivers project.
Rivers is too diverse to be governed by one faction. Lasting peace can only be built on concessions, maturity, and equity. The people are watching to see if the peace deal will lead to deeper understanding or simply paper over cracks in an already fragile political arrangement.
Wike, now a national figure as Minister of the FCT, has a responsibility to rise above the local fray and support the development of Rivers State. His influence should bring federal attention and investment to the state, not political interference or division.
Likewise, Fubara should lead with restraint, humility, and a focus on service delivery. His return should not be marked by revenge or political purges but by inclusive leadership that welcomes even former adversaries into the process of rebuilding the state.
“The people are no longer interested in power struggles. They want light in their streets, drugs in their hospitals, teachers in their classrooms, and jobs for their children. The politics of ego and entitlement have to give way to governance with purpose.
The appearance of both leaders at the funeral was a glimpse of what unity could look like. That moment should now evolve into a movement-one that prioritizes Rivers State over every personal ambition. Let it be the beginning of true reconciliation and progress.
As September draws near, the Federal government should act decisively to end the state of emergency and reinstate all suspended officials. Rivers State must return to constitutional order and normal democratic processes. This is the minimum requirement of good governance.
The crisis in Rivers has dragged on for too long. The truce is a step forward, but much more is needed. Reinstating Governor Fubara, implementing the ?1.485 trillion budget, and uniting political factions are now the urgent tasks ahead. Rivers people have suffered enough. It is time to restore leadership, rebuild trust, and finally put Rivers first.
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Amieyeofori Ibim is former Editor of The Tide Newspapers, political analyst and public affairs commentator
Opinion
Checking Herdsmen Rampage
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
Opinion
Is Nigeria Democratic Nation?
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.
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