By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt  

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has imposed night curfew on  the borders Rivers shares with Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Imo states, following recent attacks and killings of security operatives  by  gunmen.

The governor in a broadcast on Tuesday, said the curfew would take effect from today by 8pm.

He said it was necessitated by the recent security breaches and deadly attacks on security personnel by yet to be identified gunmen.

Wike said: “The Government of Rivers State has decided to restrict night movements into and out of the state from the land borders of the state.

“Consequently, a night curfew is hereby imposed and no person or vehicle is allowed into and out of Rivers State from 8pm to 6am from tomorrow (today) until further notice.

“We wish to advise that those who have any legitimate need or reason to come into or go out of the state must do so before 8pm when the curfew shall come into force daily.”

The governor said security agents had been posted to monitor and enforce strict compliance to the curfew at all borders with Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Imo states.

He said that last Saturday, some innocent officers of the Customs, Police and Civil Defence Services on their duty posts along the Port Harcourt –Owerri Expressway were ambushed and gruesomely murdered in cold blood by  attackers.

Wike has said insecurity and unchallenged killings of citizens by outlaws in parts of the country is a manifestation of bad leadership.

He said it was obvious to those who threw caution to the wind to foist such bad leadership on the people that Nigeria had collapsed.

The governor in a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant Media, Kelvin Ebiri, made the assertion when he had an interactive session with traditional rulers, political and opinion leaders of Andoni nationality at Government House,  Port Harcourt.

He said instead of leaders to be bold to speak against the ills in the land and pursue solutions to them,  they indulged in sycophancy.

Wike said: “Nigeria has totally collapsed. Look at what happened in Nasarawa and Benue states, how they killed people on the road. See what is happening in Niger State and the APC governor there is crying, saying he has been talking to the Federal Government  but nobody has listened to him. And that Boko Haram has come to take over the state, which is close to Abuja.”

The governor  said when he raised  the alarm of the looming danger of insecurity, it was politicised by some persons in the opposition, who dismissed it as mere politics.