By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to crack down on any threats to national security, insisting that no group has the monopoly of violence.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, assured residents that security forces were prepared to contain any disruptions, warning that law enforcement would not tolerate attempts to destabilise the state.
Adepoju dismissed reports of threats by militants or others, saying the police were equal to the task.
He stated, “You see, we are taking this thing one step at a time. There is nobody that has a monopoly of violence. If fire is coming from heaven, it will not consume only one person, definitely everybody will be consumed.
“So, nobody can threaten anybody, we are handling the situation the way we should and we are ready for anything that is going to come.
“All eyes are on Rivers State now. I don’t think there is any problem here really, but we will not allow anybody to heat the polity.
“You cannot fight the government and the governor himself has been handling the situation very maturely and well. So nothing will happen. The man on the ground (governor) is peaceful and God is on the throne and we are equal to the task.”
Rivers state has been enmeshed in political crisis since 2023. However, the Supreme Court ruling last week supposedly exacerbated the crisis and further polarised prominent politicans and institutions in the state.
The recent apex court ruling delivered on February 28, 2025, validated the 27 lawmakers loyal to the former governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The judgement also affirmed the legitimacy of the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly and nullified the local government election held on October 5, 2024.
The apex court also ordered the seizure of all allocations to the state, asking Fubara to re-submit the budget to the Assembly.
Since the judgments, the Amaewhule-led Assembly has, through its sittings, threatened the Fubara’s administration in the state to affirm its authority.
However, tensions in the state escalated on Thursday as a militant group, the Niger Delta Rescue Movement, threatened to attack oil installations in response to the ongoing political crisis and the alleged withholding of the state’s federal allocation.
The group, in a viral video, also issued a warning to non-indigenes in the state, urging them to leave for their safety, as they claimed hostilities were imminent.
