As the political crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly deepens, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun said his men would continue to barricade all Local Government Secretariats in Rivers State amidst tension in the state.
He also said the recent controversy surrounding the recruitment of police constables is really appalling, as he highlighted the rigorous standards expected of officers.
Egbetokun made this known on Thursday in Abuja while addressing journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with Commissioners of Police and other senior officers.
He disclosed that policemen will not leave the headquarters until a court judgement on the controversy over the tenure of local government council chairmen in the State.
Speaking further, Egbetokun said the presence of the police officers was to ensure peace and order and not to intimidate anyone.
The police boss also reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force on the need for preemptive measures to forestall any escalation of violence.
“You are all aware that in what happened two-three days ago, we lost a police inspector. We are sad about that. We don’t want to lose more men.
“We don’t want to lose more Nigerians. We don’t want to lose more citizens of Rivers State. So we have a duty to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
“And that’s why we have our men taking over the secretariat while we await the outcome of the case in court”, he said.