Rivers: Mbu accused of releasing suspected thugs

Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu

The immediate past Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Joseph Mbu, has been accused of releasing six armed thugs suspected to be working for two lawmakers in the state on the orders of the President’s wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

The suspected hoodlums were arrested on their way to Ogu in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of the state on January 3, 2014, with seven AK47 rifles, 164 rounds of 7.62mm, special live ammunition, 10 live magazines and six locally made cannon launchers.

The Joint Military Task Force had confirmed the arrest of the suspected political thugs, but insisted that the suspects had no link with any politician.

The hoodlums identified as Sunday Elisha, Uche Jenikachi, Ibinabo Lawson, Okechukwu Okoro, Jerry Tonye and Daniel Ibito-Anga, were riding in a Range Rover SUV with registration number JJ441BZ when they were apprehended.

Ibito-Anga was said to have been parading himself before his arrest as the security adviser and personal assistant to the lawmaker representing Rivers- East Senatorial District, Senator George Sekibo, and a member representing Ogu/Bolo State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Mr. Evans Bipi.

Bipi had since denied having anything to do with the hoodlums that were arrested within his constituency.

Efforts to get the reaction of the President’s wife did not yield any positive result on Friday as her spokesperson, Mrs. Ayotunde Adesugba, could not be reached on the telephone as of the time of filing this report.

On January 5, 2014, there were speculations that Mrs. Jonathan had ordered the release of the suspected thugs and the return of the seized arms and ammunition to them, even as Mbu kept silent on the matter.

However, residents in the state have been expressing fear over the reported release of the suspects.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, said the act was condemnable, describing it as another phase of impunity in the state.

Dan-Amachree, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Mr. Jim Okpiki, said, “I know that Mbu was not taking instructions from the Inspector-General of Police. So, it (release of suspected armed thugs) is possible.

He said, “When the Speaker and the Chief of Staff, Government House, raised the alarm that some youths were hired to cause mayhem in the state, they (police) invited them for interrogation.

“It means that if you are on the side of those in charge, you can trade with arms in the open market and go scot-free. The development is enough to cause fear among innocent people in the state. Of course, this is another phase of impunity in the state.”

Also, a Port Harcourt-based lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Jackson Omenazu, said Mbu should be prosecuted if it was found to be true that he (Mbu) had freed the six suspects.

Omenazu, who is the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, also urged the President’s wife to avoid associating herself with miscreants in the name of politics.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, told Saturday PUNCH that the suspects had not been released.

Mohammad described the claim that the suspected hoodlums had been freed as another falsehood against the state police command.

“This is just another facet of the campaign of calumny against the command. The statement is a misleading one. The suspects are still in police custody while investigation continues,” he said