The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to immediately restore police security attached to the Rivers State Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement released by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party argued that the withdrawal of the police from the Rivers Task Force amounted to politicizing the efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 in our country.
According to the party, the withdrawal of the police personnel from the state task force will only lead to lawlessness as well as frustrate the genuine efforts of the Rivers State Government to ensure compliance to health safety protocols put in place to check the spread of COVID-19 and safeguard the lives of Nigerians in the state.
”Our party acknowledges the efforts of Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, as well as those of other state governors elected on the platform of the PDP to flatten the curve in their respective states even without commensurate support from the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It is our opinion that the order to withdraw security personnel from the task force of Rivers State, or any other state for that matter, is counter productive and against the overall interest of our nation in this fight against COVID-19.
Our party therefore urges the Inspector General of Police to reverse the directive and support efforts by Governor Wike to check the pandemic in Rivers state, particularly as the state is strategic to the economic stability of our nation.” the statement read
The withdrawal of the police officers came after the state governor, Nyesom Wike, supervised the demolition of two hotels flouted the lockdown order in the state.
