Jan, 06 2014, 1:01AM — siteadmin
In a rare show of power she
constitutionally doesn't have, Nigeria's
First Lady Patience Jonathan has
reportedly ordered the Rivers State
Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph
Mbu, to release the armed thugs of her
close political allies, Senator George
Sekibo and Evans Bipi.
The six men were arrested on Friday by
the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Ogu,
the hometown of the two politicians, and
they were handed over to the police for
prosecution.
But SaharaReporters has authoritatively
learned that Mrs. Jonathan ordered Mr.
Mbu to release the suspects as well as
return to them the arms and ammunition
that were found in their possession. It is
as yet unclear if Mbu has complied with
the order, but Mr. Bipi, a former domestic
aide of Mrs. Jonathan, is understood to be
actively trying to ensure the release.
Meanwhile a crisis of confidence seems to
have erupted between the JTF/Army and
the police in Rivers State concerning how
the story, which was broken by
Saharareporters, leaked to the media.
Mbu is said to have complained loudly
that the Army/JTF must have leaked the
story to the media.
The police commissioner is further said to
have lamented that the other security
agencies (Army, Navy, Airforce, SSS) in
the State are not helping him and the
police at all in the fight against Rivers
State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
According to our source, he is citing the
arrest of the six men and the subsequent
leakage of the story as an example of
such lack of cooperation, arguing that had
the arrest been made by the Rivers State
police command, the media would not
have heard about it.
A source within the JTF/Army has
however dismissed Mbu's claims,
describing them as ridiculous and
preposterous. The source maintained that
the army does not get involved in politics
and certainly does not take sides in
political fights, calling Mbu a joker if he
expects the army to do otherwise.
The source further stated that Mbu should
look inside the police concerning how the
story got to the media, saying that it was
after the Army handed over the suspects
to the police for prosecution that the story
went public.
It would be recalled that the six armed
youths were arrested by the JTF on Friday
on their way to Ogu in Ogu Bolo Local
Government Area. They had on them
several AK-47 rifles arrested six youths
bearing seven AK47, 146 rounds of
7.62mm Special life ammunition and 10
life magazines.
Their names were given as Daniel Ibito-
Anga, Sunday Elisha, Uche Jenikachi,
Ibinabo Lawson, and Okechukwu Okoro.
Their leader, Ibito-Anga, is known to
present himself as Security Adviser/PA to
both Senator George Sekibo as well as
State Assemblyman Bipi.
Sekibo and Bipi hail from Ogu and are
known to be very close allies of Mrs.
Jonathan. http://mobile.saharareporters.com/news-page/first-lady-patience-jonathan-orders-rivers-police-commissioner-mbu-release-arrested-armed-