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Emma Sunday, Port Harcourt
Ahead of Thursday’s August 1st planned nationwide protest by Nigerians, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, said operatives of the command would resist any breakdown of law and order in the state.
CP Disu, explained that officers and men of the command have been trained and re-trained to professionally handle any situation that may arise during the protest scheduled to hold from August 1st to 10, 2024 in the state.
The Commissioner of Police who spoke while addressing Journalists in Port Harcourt disclosed that operatives on essential duties have been withdrawn to boost operatives on ground.
He hinted that the police hierarchy in the state had since been having series of meetings with critical stakeholders in the various communities of the state in a bid to avoid drawing a line between the police and the people, stressing that the Police and the people are all facing the same hardship in the country.
However, the Rivers Commissioner of Police CP Olatunji Disu shortly after a stakeholders meeting that had traditional rulers, youths, Civil Society Organizations, students, women, leaders of different ethnic groups and non-indigenous communities leaders in the state in attendance, at the Police Officers’ Mess on Monday told newsmen that they have agreed that there would be no violence in the state.
He said, “At the end of the day, we want Rivers state to remain as we have discussed again and again. We have agreed that we don’t want any violence. Because looking back at the ENDSARs, the violence we witnessed, the looting. We have agreed that parents should go back home and talked to their children not to be part of this.
“The Police has been trained to be very very professional and I assure you are going to see professional Police officers that particular period.
“We are dealing with human beings, we know that there are three stages that has to do with this kind of protest. The first stage is calling everybody, talking and explaining to them, trying to make everybody to see reason why we have a peaceful day.
“That is why we called all stakeholders together. We have listened to them, a lot of advice has come from them which we are going to implement.”
Speaking further, CP Disu said; “The other stage is if they want to go out for the protest what do will do? Protest is the right of everybody that wishes to express their grievances. So, we are going to march out with them to ensure its peaceful.”
He said. “Our men have been prepared, we have talked to them again and again. Most importantly, we don’t want it to be a situation of we versus them, we are all in this together.
“We have been having wonderful partnership with a lot of people, a lot of groups in the state, so we don’t expect it to be different now, the officers have been told what to do, we have withdrawn our men from essential duties, we have talked to them, they have trained and re-trained and we are ready to hold any situation that brings itself to us in the state.”
The Chairman, Rivers State Council of the NUJ, Stanley Job Stanley commended the police led by CP Disu for summoning a stakeholders to see how they can handle the protest against poverty, hunger.
In their separate speeches, Chairman of Northern Community in Rivers state, Musa Saidu, the Eze Ndigbo Rivers and Bayelsa states, His Imperial Majesty, Eze Samm Nwokolo and the representative Yoruba Community, Idris Alabi all assured that their people won’t be part of the protest.
Saidu said, “We the northerners we not be part of it because property of a lot of northerners were destroyed in the state the last ENDSARS protest.
They feared that the protest might be hijacked, and therefore urged the police to be professional, be neutral and provide security.
On his part, the Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Rivers State, Voke Emore said “We in PCRC in Rivers state prefer town hall meeting to protest”.
