Wike, Amaechi bicker over cause of insecurity in Rivers

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has countered transport minister Rotimi Amaechi’s claim linking insecurity in Rivers to unemployment.

Amaechi had made the comments during the defection of two former commissioners in Wike’s administration to the APC in Port Harcourt.

He had also countered the imposition of a curfew in Rivers arguing that he took the war to the camp of criminals terrorising the state when he was governor.

In a statement issued by Wike’s special assistant on media, Kevin Ebiri, the governor called the minister’s comments disingenuous.

“Is unemployment fuelling insecurity in Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, Ondo, Ebony, Imo, Niger States governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he queried.

He said if the minister, who is the immediate past governor of the state has any modicum of sincerity, he will attest to the fact that security is the sole responsibility of the federal government.

“Is he (Amaechi) trying to indict his boss, President Muhammad Buhari, who is the Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and who is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility to provide security for Nigerians.

“It is a well-known fact that Amaechi is the one who appoints every Commissioner of Police that has been posted to Rivers State since 2015. So, if there is any security failure, he is to blame,” he pointed out.

Governor Wike described the minister’s utterance on the current imposition of curfew in the State, following the recent attacks on police formations, as rather unfortunate.

” Perhaps, the minister is happy that members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are killing innocent policemen, who were protecting lives and property. Is Amaechi happy that the weapons of this slain security personnel were carted away by the hoodlums? Amaechi, from all indications, has lost focus and is now frustrated,” he stated.