Police read riot act to militant groups over threats on Rivers crisis

Rivers State Police Command has read a riot act to the militant group threatened to attack oil installations over the ongoing political crisis rocking the state.

This followed the threat issued by the Niger Delta Rescue Movement over the alleged withholding of the state’s federal allocation in compliance with the supreme Court judgement on the crisis.

The group also ordered the non-indigenes in the state to leave for their safety, warning that hostilities were imminent.

But, State's Police Commissioner, Olugbenga Adepoju, while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, the state capital, vowed to crack down on any threats to national security.

Adepoju insisted that no group has the monopoly on violence.

The Police Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju dismissed the threats by the militants or others, saying the police were equal to the task.

“You see, we are taking this thing one step at a time. There is nobody that has a monopoly of violence. If fire is coming from heaven, it will not consume only one person, definitely everybody will be consumed.

“So, nobody can threaten anybody, we are handling the situation the way we should and we are ready for anything that is going to come.

“All eyes are on Rivers State now. I don’t think there is any problem here really, but we will not allow anybody to heat the polity.

“You cannot fight the government and the governor himself has been handling the situation very maturely and well. So nothing will happen. The man on the ground (governor) is peaceful and God is on the throne and we are equal to the task.”

Adepoju assured the residents that security forces were prepared to contain any disruptions, warning that law enforcement would not tolerate attempts to destabilise the state.

Recall the state has been experiencing a political crisis since 2023, while the latest Supreme Court judgments validating the 27 lawmakers loyal to the former governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, created another round of political crisis.