Port Harcourt City: Serious Confusion in My Neighborhood

It may no longer be news if you hear that people are being brutally killed in what has generally being described as cult clashes, in Rivers State, to the extent that beheading of persons seems as normal as the killing of chicken, for celebration. Many have argued that this incessant killing is an extension of a total breakdown of security of life and properties in Nigeria as a country. 

It may not also be news to hear that the Government of Rivers State has recently launched what she called a “new security architecture” code-named “Operation Sting” in which about 70 Vehicles including Gunboats and other security devices were handed over to the security agencies. What is now trending, however, is that this widely publicized “Operation Sting” may have been just an ordinary ceremony to hand over State Government’s purchased security equipment to relevant security agencies in the state.

The Governor of the State, His Excellency Barr .Ezenwo Nyesom Wike . has also given what has been described in the media as a matching order to various traditional rulers to ensure that hoodlums perpetrating criminal activities in their communities are fished out and handed over to security agencies for prosecution if they want to retain their traditional stool.   This so-called threat also hit the brick wall as many described it as an attempt to shift constitutional responsibility of the State to mere community leaders who themselves are helpless in the hands of this bloody criminals.

In this entire hullabaloo, what are the police and other security agencies really doing? You may be asking. Your guess is as good as mine. They’re busy reporting incidents, announcing preliminary investigation on those responsible, confirming numbers of death with a promise to investigate the remote and immediate causes of incidents with a view to bringing perpetrators to book.

This has not only made the entire Port Harcourt city appear lawless, but it has actually made other category of criminals like the armed robbers, kidnappers, breaking-and-entering  thieves, Pick-pocket attackers, and road-miscreants  otherwise known as Agberoos-locally called Obio/Akpo boys here in Port Harcourt, to take over the entire city with their nefarious  activities.

While stakeholders have insisted that the wanton killing, kidnapping, and destruction of properties by those often refers to as cultist in the State, is nothing but a political struggle between rival political heavyweight in the state, observers and concerned citizens like us have continued to lament about the lackluster attitude of security agencies who are constitutionally responsible for security of the State.  Are they also engulfed in this political struggle? If so, which divide are they operating from Opposing or the leading?

The school of thought who thinks that the struggle is that of federal-might and the State, are more perplexed when they see the Federal Government-controlled Police force, for instance, carrying out orders issued by the State Government.  A very good example of these being the recent ban on all forms of mass protest by the Rivers State Government: ever since this other was issued, the Nigerian Police has religiously prevented anybody from protesting against any issue in the state.

We still recall how the Police had Barricaded Isaac Boro Park, the venue of a mass protest against insecurity in the state, called by a civil right organization and more recently, that of the Ogoni Youth Federation, against the upsurge of killings and destruction going on in their villages.

It’s even more worrisome when you hear the various allegation that the Police are either not willing to responds to emergencies when the need arises or has refused to act, as demonstrated in Choba community killing, where the police was accused of responding six hours after a distress call was made to them; especially, as a Police Area Command is located in Choba. Those in the know said that it should not have taken more than ten minutes for them to get to the scene of the incident if they had responded.

Just recently, Governor Wike Inaugurated a taskforce that will ensure total compliance with the recently Passed law in Rivers State prohibiting illegal Street trading, illegal motor Park and wrong parking of vehicles on the road. While a lot of persons have vehemently criticized this law and by extension, the setting up of a taskforce as an attempt to further suppress the already disheartened poor masses, who in their dare need to survive is willing to do anything, including selling on the road, just to put food on their table. Others seem to applaud the State government, on what it described as a sure way of restoring sanity on Port Harcourt roads and thereby bringing it back to her garden city status.

However, it appears as if the dogs and the baboons have been let loose to unleash terror on poor masses and innocent road users. This is because a lot of criminals empowered by certain faceless politicians as we often say in this part of the country have hijacked the process. 

.Before now, the Rivers State Government has repeatedly said it has banned all LGA taskforce in the state to curtail the activities of the so-called Obio/akpo boys. But with the recent development, the various LGA taskforce seems to have been emboldened, as they are now operating simultaneously but parallel to the legitimate taskforce.

A situation that has turned the entire city into chaos, as road users are constantly at alert, so as not to fall victim to these ruthless criminals, who will not hesitate to impound your vehicle illegally and demand as much as N30.000 from you, sometimes with the aid of Police officers.

Who could have said it better if not the coordinator of the newly formed taskforce Hon. Bright Amaehule, who recently decried the activities of this LGA taskforce in a Radio station in Port Harcourt. He also disclosed that policemen attached to the LGAs are working with these illegal taskforces.

Hon. Bright equally explained a scenario where he said that the policemen attached to the taskforce had to exchange words with their colleagues that accompanied the LGA taskforce for the same reason. Are we a caused generation? 

Why are you saying all these things, someone is already asking? Well like every other Nigerian who would remain silent about important issues until it affects them, I got my fair share of this illegal taskforce a few days ago. I was heading to GRA through Agip fly over mile 4 area when my phone started ringing.  I swung the car to the right towards Abacha Rd. About two poles away from my position I saw a police team, possibly doing their normal random checkpoint.

Because the car I was driving looks like a taxi and a lot of taxies is parked along the road also loading passengers, I pulled behind one of them, to complete my phone call before they would ask why I am making call and driving.

Two boys emerged from behind, asking me to wane down. I saw another three at my back with a police officer who seems uninterested until he heard me say to one of the boys: "I will shot you if you touch my car door" 

He came to me and asked that I must identify myself. I told him who I am and why I said what I said: my hazard light was on and I was still inside my car; at such, should not be charged for wrong parking. I realize that he was with them as he was now threatening to take my car to the station so that it will be searched for a weapon since I said I will shot somebody. He forgot the issue at hand and accuses me of a different offense. By this time I have secured my car key inside my jeans trouser, not knowing exactly what next to do.

He may have realized that journalists are not easy people to intimidate; I was thinking when he asked them to leave me. But behold one of them had already deflated one of my tire in anger. Helplessly, I watched them enter a rickety vehicle and drove off.

Perhaps I was wrong, I did not realize what actually made them leave me as I sighted the real taskforce with a team of policemen in white Hilus van as roadside traders scrambled to their feet in a different direction.

Just when I taught I have seen it all, I listened to the radio later in the evening where it was reported that one of the real task force members was set ablaze by an angry individual who was said to have poured on him a gallon of petrol before throwing a flame on him, following an argument with a taxi driver.

Members of the taskforce later vented their anger on doctors at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital, where they had taken the victim to, for refusing to issue them “doctor’s report” on the said issue.  As a result, medical doctors at the hospital issued a press statement saying that they have withdrawn their services for 72hrs in protest of the severe attack by members of the taskforce on four of their colleague.

What a chaotic situation we have here in Port Harcourt. That is how bad it is, in my beloved city of Port Harcourt. Something needs to be done urgently to redirect the trend of the event before it gets out of hand.