The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police of being behind the series of kidnappings and armed robbery incidents in the state.
Wike explained that the embattled Rivers State Special Anti-robbery Squad Commander, Mr Akin Fakorede, and his operatives had been indicted by an official police signal, which indicated that they were responsible for the series of kidnappings and deadly robbery incidents across the state.
The governor, who spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, stated that the SARS Commander was planted in the state to sabotage the security architecture of Rivers and create an atmosphere of fear.
He specifically said that the criminal activities of Fakorede were uncovered by the Inspector General of Police X Squad, Abuja, deployed in the state after the team busted the attempted kidnap of one Mr. Azumana Ifeanyi on September 11, 2017 at the GRA, Port Harcourt.
Wike said: “Most of the kidnappings and armed robbery taking place in this state are done by men of SARS. They use exhibit vehicles to operate. As the Chief Security Officer of the state, you complain, but they choose to play politics with crime.
“They fight crime in some state, but they refuse to fight crime in Rivers State. We are done with the elections, but they are using SARS to create insecurity in the state. As I speak with you, they will deny.
“But the SARS operative, who was killed, was amongst those who raided the Rivers East Senatorial District Collation Centre. This man can be identified in the video as one of those who invaded the collation centre with Fakorede.”
The governor stated that the deliberate acts of violence being perpetrated by the police had been planned as part of the rigging process for 2019.
“I have never seen a country where they politicise crime. It is very obvious that they want to give the impression that Rivers State is unsafe. They want to instil fear preparatory to declaring during the elections that there are so much killings.
“Authorities deliberately trying to destroy a whole state and you want the people to be happy. I will no longer write (to the IGP). Now is the time to take my case to the public for the whole world to know what is happening,” Wike added.
The governor maintained that his administration had invested more than any other state in security, logistics and lamented that the Police was working against the state.
