Bayelsa State Governor, Honourable Seriake Dickson, on Monday, called on law enforcement agents to guard against the politicisation of security, in order not to undermine the prevailing peace in the state.
Governor Dickson made the call, when the new Bayelsa State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Mrs. Christiana Omanu Abiakam paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Francis Ottah Agbo quoted the Governor, as urging security agents to resist being used as tools in the hands of some political leaders, whose activities he noted, were capable of destabilising the state.
Governor Dickson stressed that, in line with his administration’s policy on zero tolerance on crime, he would no longer condone acts of lawlessness in the state and urged officers and men of the Corps to exhibit professionalism in the discharge their of their duties.
His words: “There are politicians in this state in some political parties who are complete criminal and terrorists killing people election after election. They are involved in all major communal problems. They use most of your officers and men. As, we speak your men are guarding people of shady characters, parading as political leaders, including people against whom judicial process has commenced.
“So, my charge to you, is that, while this government will continue to support law enforcement agencies to do their jobs better, the government and people will no longer condone a situation, whereby uniform men are used to intimidate, kill, and maim people in this state.”
Governor Dickson, who assured the NSCDC of the government’s readiness to provide a security platform on the waterways, said he had already directed the Ministry of Lands and Survey to provide land for the building of an official accommodation for the new Commandant.
Earlier, in her remarks, the new Bayelsa State Commandant, Mrs Christiana Omanu Abiakam, assured that they would work closely with other security agencies to carry out their core mandate of checking pipeline vandalism and protection of other government facilities and assets.
•Photo by Reginald Dei shows Governor Seriake Dickson (Left), presenting a Special Souvenir to the visiting Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Bayelsa State Command, Commandant Christiana Abiakam-Omanu, during a Courtesy call in the Government House, Yenagoa, on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018
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