Politics
IGP replies Traditional Rulers in Rivers: ‘We’ll impound any truck carrying Almajiris and Agricultural products into Rivers State—IGP
… State Government and Traditional Rulers should trust us that the Police will work for the interest of Rivers People
Responding to the alarm and concerns raised by the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers that the setting up a Technical Taskforce for the interstate movement of Agricultural products and other essential services in the state by on behalf of the Inspector General of Police,IGP, Muhammed Adamu,the state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan explained that the Police respect all directives of both the Executive Order issued by Governor Nyesom Wike and the Presidential directives.
He made this clarification on behalf of the IGP at a meeting between the Police authorities and members of the Civil Societies Organization/Media Situation Room in the state.
He said that both the Federal and State governments mean well for the people and are working together to fashion out ways to ensure that the Coronavirus pandemic modalities and foods would not become a problem for the people.
He said “Federal government can give some waivers, especially to some Oil operations, it is left for us to harmonize it with extant laws of the state it is just a matter of understanding.
“We are not in any conflict with the Rivers State Government because we are all working for the good of the state, I know that His excellency the Governor means well for the people so our duty is to support him to achieve it”.
The Rivers State Police Commissioner ,Joseph Mukan, however warned those bringing foods not come in with any human cargoes and threatens to deal with any one who breaches such protocols.
The stated this when he inaugurated the Committee, comprising the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Interior and ministry of Defence, which is basically only on the movement on Agricultural products one of their mandate is to ensure the distribution of Agricultural produce from the farmers to the consumers at the local areas.
CP categorically warned that any truck conveying the food produce found with human cargoes with the goods will be confiscated.
On the issue of trucks carrying human cargoes like the Almagiris he warned ‘’The trucks are restricted to carrying food and Agricultural products, if they go ahead and carry human beings we will not allow that because the federal government clearly stated that and if you look at what the state government is doing, is not against Agricultural products as such, so a situation where you carry food products and there are human beings in it, becomes a problem, so this Taskforce is addressing that issue ’’The Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers had on Friday, May 15 raised alarm that the IGP had unilaterally set up a Joint Technical TaskForce in the State to ensure unhindered movement of Agricultural products into the state with human cargoes whose Covid-19 status is unknown.
Rivers Traditional Rulers Council Chairman, HRM King Jaja of Opobo, Dandison Douglas Jaja,Jeki V. while during a press conference at their Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
File photo of a typical livestock carrying human cargoes whose Covid-19 status is unknown that the Traditional Rulers are querying
The Traditional Rulers went further to point out the action of the IGP has illegally voided the Presidential order by President Muhammadu Buhari that has restricted inter-state travels to curb the spread Coronavirus from one state to another.
The Traditional Rulers made their concerns known through its Chairman, HRM King Jaja of Opobo, Dandison Douglas Jaja,Jeki V. while during a press conference at their Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
They argued that the unhindered movements of Agricultural products at the instance of Federal Ministry of Agriculture into the state which will also carry People whose Health status are unknown.
