Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has dismissed comments by the former state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, who described himself as a lion that tamed the governor in Port Harcourt.
Mbu, who was recently promoted Assistant Inspector-General of Police, spoke while handing over to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, on Monday in Abuja.
However, Governor Amaechi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor in Port Harcourt, described Mbu as a puppet, who lacks the steel and strength of a lion.
He said: “It is very sad, pathetic and ironic that Mbu called himself a lion. Which lion? This character called Joseph Mbu completely lacks the courage, steel and strength of a lion.
Rather he is a puppet.
“This is a man paid by taxpayers to protect, secure and serve the interests of the people, but, when he was in Rivers State, he spurned the people, trampled on the masses and rather elected to be the partisan servant of one person, in causing disaffection, confusion and crises in Rivers State.
“Mbu shamelessly and corruptly turned himself into a toothless attack dog to fight the government and people of Rivers State.
“How can a man who has no strength of character; a man who willingly submits himself to serve as a puppet call himself a lion? How ironic.
“Mr. Mbu, no lion behaves like that. You are a disgrace and shame to the Nigerian Police Force.”
Governor Amaechi insisted that Mbu epitomises everything that was wrong with the police in Nigeria.
He said Mbu not only disobeyed the Inspector General of Police during his time in Rivers State, but also clearly acted lawlessly, like a man who was above the law and in fact, turned himself into the law.”
He said Mbu can neither tame him nor the people of Rivers State to surrender their constitutionally-guaranteed democratic rights to anyone, no matter how highly placed.
