- Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike accuses the Nigerian Army of encouraging insecurity in the country to get more 'security votes'
- Wike wonders why the state's neighbourhood watch training camp was shut down when Kogi and Zamfara have such bodies
- The governor says his administration worked with the police, the DSS and other federal bodies in recruiting personnel into the neighbourhood watch
The governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, in the evening of Thursday, November 29, accused the Nigerian Army of being transformed into a political weapon that has abandoned its primary responsibility of providing security for the nation.
Wike said this in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Simeon Nwakaudu, adding that the disruption of the training of the Rivers state neighbourhood safety corps agency training programme by the Nigerian Army “is the worst act of irresponsibility, aimed at instigating insecurity in the state.”
The statement said the governor spoke at Odiokwu, Ahoada West local government area of Rivers state where he flagged off the construction of a Model primary healthcare centre, Odiokwu internal roads, Odiokwu-Anwuigboko and Odiokwu-Oyigbo roads.
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“The Army is not concerned about the killing of soldiers in Borno. They are only interested in creating insecurity in Rivers State.
“If you don't want Rivers state to be safe, then Nigeria will not be safe. They want to use their guns against us,” he said.
According to Wike, Zamfara and Kogi states have vigilante outfits which were commissioned by the Nigerian Army and the APC federal government.
He wondered why the Nigerian Army would stoop so low to disrupt a legal training exercise.
"Zamfara and Kogi states have vigilante groups. They commissioned them and the Chief of Army Staff did nothing. The House of Assembly passed a law approving the Rivers state Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency.
“The Chief of Army did not challenge the law in court, but today he sent troops to invade the training camp.
“The Army is the agency causing insecurity mainly to attract more security votes. They collected $1 billion from our excess crude account, yet our soldiers were killed.
"All they are doing is to intimidate people for political reasons. When you fight a state blessed by God, you will crumble. Nobody can intimidate us in Rivers state,” he said.
Explaining how the agency was formed in Rivers state, Governor Wike said the government worked with the police, the DSS and other federal bodies to ensure that only law-abiding citizens are recruited.
“We did not hire boys for political reasons. This has been a transparent process and that is why the personnel are trained at the NYSC orientation camp at Nonwa.
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“We involved the police and the DSS to ensure that the trainees are profiled for the good of the society. The main aim of this agency is to assist the security agencies with intelligence and information, since there is a lacuna in this regard.
“No one man has been a Chief of Army Staff forever. Every job has an expiry date. When Buratai leaves office, he will be held to account for his illegal actions.
“If they stop the training elsewhere, personnel of the Rivers state Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency will be trained at the Government House Port Harcourt,” the governor said.
Legit.ng reported earlier that the Joint Military Task Force on Thursday, November 29, stormed the training camp of about 3,000 new recruits of controversial Rivers state neighborhood and safety watch at Nonwa, Tai local government area of the state.
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