The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Rivers State Police Command of bias in the handling of some politically related matters in the state.
Rivers state Publicity Secretary of the party, Sydney Tambari Gbara, who made the allegation while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the arrest and detention of the Beeri Ward 9 Coordinator of Simplified Movement and former Councillor, Ward 9 in Khana Local Government Legislative Assembly, Hon Barine Roland Edoo, was a clear case of bias by the Rivers State Police Command.
Sydney Gbara wondered why Hon. Barine Roland Edoo who did not commit any offence other than being a supporter of Governor Siminialayi Fubara was arrested and detained for over 72 hours without being charged to court, while those accused of violence and destruction of equipment worth millions of naira at the venues of the Thanksgiving service for the Supreme Court victory of Governor Siminialayi Fubara in Ahoada West, Etche and Omuma LGAs were still walking about freely.
While calling for the release of Roland Edoo, the state PDP spokesman equally enjoined the police not to take sides in the ongoing political crisis in the state, but to remain professional and apolitical.
In his words: “This is injustice and a clear case of abuse of the fundamental human rights of Hon. Edooh, and we fear that this growing trend of injustice orchestrated by the state police command, despite being an institution saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, may cause crisis in the state, which is the reason why we are advising them to stay off politically motivated issues and allow the people to have peace”, Gbara said.
The PDP Spokesperson blamed the lawmaker representing Khana/Gokana Federal constituency, Rt Hon Dum Deekor for using his position to harass and intimidate supporters of Governor Fubara, particularly, in his community Beeri, as could be seen by the arrest and detention of Roland Edooh for refusing to align with him.
“We are advising the federal lawmaker to stop seeing supporters of Governor Fubara in Beeri as easy prey for unnecessary harassment, unlawful arrest and detention because no amount of intimidation will deter the people from standing firmly with Sir Sim Fubara.
“I wonder why the police are yet to release Hon Barine Roland Edoo despite the glaring evidence that it was a set up, witchhunt and a politically motivated arrest.
“Already one Nania Lenee, alias Awilo, a native of Beeri, the home town of Hon Dum Deekor who was hired to go to the Police station to make statement has told the police that he was bribed by some cronies of Hon Dum Deekor to bear false witness against Roland Edoo so as to send him to prison innocently and also gave the names of Dum Deekor’s cronies who bribed him.
“We are therefore telling the Police Commissioner that having gotten this fact, Hon Roland Edoo should be released immediately or be charged to court”.
In the same vein, “we are also appealing to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetukon to drop the charges against The Chief of Staff Government House Port Harcourt, Rt Hon Edison Ehie as they were politically motivated”.
