A citizen of Rivers State, Elder Samuel Iyoyo, has said that Nigeria should not be run as a police state.
Speaking in an interview on the invasion of the residence of the immediate past acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, Joi Nunieh, Elder Iyoyo described the invasion by security operatives as “most unfortunate”.
He said that the police could have invited her instead of laying siege to her residence.
He wondered whether those who came for the operation were kidnappers since the Commissioner of Police had told the governor of the state he was not aware of the operation.
He said the Commissioner of Police should work with the governor as member of the Security Council and not speak on radio asking the governor to hand over the former acting managing director.
He also said the Nigeria Police should be non-partisan in carrying out their responsibility.
“We have had a lot of Inspectors-General of Police. It has never been this bad. We should not run Nigeria as a police state. We must divorce politics from the real job that they are supposed to be doing so that the people can still have confidence in the police. I’m a member of the Police Community Relations Committee in the state, with all this how can you begin to be telling your Community to be working with the police when they are using Gestapo strategies to remove very law-abiding citizens,” he said.
He however said there is a court judgement restraining the police from arresting the former acting managing director of the interventionist agency.
Iyoyo who is retired Director of Publications in Ministry of Information commended the governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for rescuing the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
He said it meant the people of the state have those who could speak for them saying that the people should “come out” and speak out against what is bad.
He said the governor rescued the former managing director because he needed to protect her as citizen of the state.
Elder Iyoyo said the mentality was changing that anyone could come into the state to do anything he liked.
However, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, said that the operation was not illegal.
