TELL Magazine

Following last Friday night’s attack on police checkpoints and police stations in which seven police officers were killed in Rivers State, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has extended the existing curfew in the state from 10pm to 7 am to 7 pm to 6 am with effect from Tuesday.

In a broadcast to the people of the state, Wike said the the State Security Council had reviewed the way and manner the recent attacks were executed and discovered that the perpetrators, who disguised themselves as security officers, moved in unhindered from Oyigbo to launch the attack.

“However, as a further step towards enhancing our collective safety we have reviewed the existing night time curfew across the 23 Local Government Areas, which will now start from 7 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. until further notice from tomorrow 11th May 2021.

“The security agencies are hereby directed to note the new curfew time, ensure strict compliance and effectively deal with any person or group that violates or attempts to violate it.

“We have reviewed, and for the moment, declined the pressure on the State Government to activate our youth to defend the State from these terrorists because we don’t want to complicate our very delicate security situation by creating opportunities for some other monsters to emerge.”

Governor Wike, who commiserated with the families of the deceased officers and the police Command declared that the government and security agencies are determined to deploy everything at their disposal to advance the safety and security of lives and property in the State.

The governor explained that security agencies are on the trail of the gunmen who attacked security formations in the State. He expressed optimism that the culprits will all be arrested soon and brought to justice.

He reiterated that nothing will stop the government from defeating the evil forces presently threatening the individual and collective security of the State.

“We wish to assure every resident that we are not intimidated by the sporadic and cowardly attacks on predetermined security targets by faceless criminals on our soil; neither will we be cowed into succumbing to a baseless and doomed secessionists’ agenda.”

The governor appealed to residents for understanding, assuring them that the aim of government’s action is to achieve and sustain the maximum security of lives and property.

“We further appeal to the public to understand that security is everybody’s business and play their own roles, especially in passing intelligence information to the law enforcement agencies to process and take pre-emptive measures to counter and advance our collective security.”