Dismissed acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Joy Nunieh, on Thursday, said she feels “very safe in the Government House”. Nunieh spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt, Rivers State, under the protection of Governor Nyesom Wike after he rescued her from police siege at her GRA residence.
Alleging the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, was the mastermind of the Mopol seige on her Port Harcourt home, she said; “Akpabio can’t kill me. I am from Uyo. I think he wanted to stop me from giving my submission to the NASS. He succeeded but I think definitely the House of Reps will give me another day and Nigerians will hear more.”
The siege was perceived as a move to prevent her from flying to Abuja to make submissions to the House Committee probing NDDC Interim Management Committee spendings. Wike, fulfilling his early vow to protect the Ogoni, Rivers State-born former NDDC MD from undue danger, had swiftly rushed to her residence on getting wind of the siege by Mobile Police, said to have been drafted from Mopol 19.
He then moved her in his official vehicle to the Government House, Port Harcourt. Speaking to newsmen at the state house, Nunieh accused Akpabio of masterminding the police invasion of her residence to allegedly stop her from making an early flight to Abuja, to appear before the House Committee. She told newsmen: “I was supposed to be going to Abuja to make my submissions before the House Committee.
“Meanwhile, the man that harasses me is at home. The man who stole the money, who stole government files, who asked me to take an oath is at home. “I had stopped talking, but I just wanted to make my submissions to the House. But with this, Nigerians will hear more.
They say wise men who refuse to do anything suffer the rule of idiots.” Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, indicated that the Mopol presence at Numieh residence wasn’t the directive of the Police Command in Rivers State, urging media inquiries to be directed to higher authorities. Vanguard, however, learned that the said Mopol 19 squad reportedly arrived at Nunieh’s 3 Owuru Creek View, off Herbert Macaulay Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, residence about 4a.m,, barring her from leaving for Port Harcourt International Airport to connect the early flight to Abuja.
Nunieh alleged that “this is definitely the handiwork of those who don’t want me to tell the truth about what is going on at the NDDC. My Governor, Wike, says they have tried to pressure him to retract his warning that I should not be harmed, but he has refused.
“The minister (Akpabio) thinks he can intimidate me (Nunieh) with police, but I will not be intimidated. He is afraid that I have exposed the fact that there is no forensic audit going on at the NDDC. “Yesterday, the BPP appeared before the Committee and said they were deceived into issuing a certificate of ‘no objection’ by Akpabio who told them that the 2020 budget had been passed.
No matter how long they take I will give my testimony.” Governor Wike, expressing his disgust with the police action, said: “I called the Commissioner of Police, he said he was not aware. They said it’s the IGP Monitoring Team. But I have spoken to the authorities, they said the IG is not even aware. “For me, if there is any crime against Dr. Joy Numieh, I will not back her. Some say she is not in my party, so I shouldn’t intervene, but she’s a Rivers daughter.” Vanguard
