Rivers Political Tension: Why We Took Over Rivers Assembly Quarters – Rivers Police Commissioner Reveals

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, has addressed concerns regarding the deployment of police officers at the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters in Port Harcourt, asserting that their presence is strictly for maintaining peace and preventing any breach of law and order.

Amid ongoing speculations and the heated political atmosphere surrounding the leadership dispute in the state assembly, CP Disu clarified the police’s role while speaking during an interview with Channels TV.

Naija News reports that the police ccommissioner responded to claims suggesting that the police force had overtaken the assembly quarters, describing such reports as inaccurate.

“That is not true. I heard it in the news, too, that the police have taken over the House of Assembly quarters. That is not true. All we did was send policemen on patrol to stay around and ensure that they maintain peace, which has been our duty,” Disu explained.

The Commissioner further noted that the police deployment was not unusually large, mentioning that only four patrol vehicles were stationed at the quarters.

This move comes in response to minor tensions and demonstrations in the area, which, according to Disu, have not escalated to a level of serious concern.

“The incident of yesterday generated a little bit of tension in town today, and we had about one or two demonstrations with people moving around, but most importantly, everybody has been moving around freely in the state so far, so good there is nothing that calls for any serious concern,” he added.

Regarding the enforcement of an interim court order that restrains pro-Wike lawmakers from parading themselves as legislators, the CP disclosed that the command had not yet received official notification from the court to act on such matters.

He emphasized that police officers had been previously deployed to the assembly complex even before the current political friction, underscoring the continuity of their peacekeeping role.

This clarification comes at a critical time when political tensions in Rivers State have raised alarms about potential disruptions to law and order, and the police force is under scrutiny for its actions and presence in key political sites.