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| Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State |
Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State yesterday dismissed as a lie,the police version of the circumstances surrounding the Thursday arrest of the Leader of the House of Assembly,Mr.Chidi Lloyd.
Lloyd himself accused Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu of desperation to destroy his political career for no just cause.
The police arrested Lloyd on Thursday for alleged double murder . The politician, according to the state police command’s spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was responsible for the murder of Police Sergeant Urang Obediah and one Kingsley Ejeuo.
The police described Ejeuo as Lloyd’s political opponent.
Muhammad said: “He (Lloyd) was arrested on his way to join His Excellency, Governor Amaechi Rotimi, in his private jet at the Airforce Base (Aba Road, Port Harcourt) to escape justice.
“Hon. Chidi Lloyd on 30/12/2013, while pursing his political opponent, knocked down Sgt. Urang Obediah, in spite of his effort to stop him, rammed and killed him and went ahead to crush the Passat car Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo was driving and killed him.
“Initially, the police thought that it was a mere accident, which ought to have been manslaughter. The Commissioner of Police directed ACP Aliyu Garba, the Area Commander Metro, to visit him (Lloyd) on his hospital bed and commiserate with him.
“Conscious of what he did, Chidi Lloyd relocated to another hospital. When facts emerged that Chidi Lloyd drove a bulletproof vehicle, while pursing his political opponent, the late Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo, and he knocked down Sgt. Urang Obediah, who died on the spot and moved ahead to smash a political opponent in his Passat car, who equally died instantly.
“The late Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo, who hailed from the same place with Hon. Chidi Lloyd (Emohua), is believed to be in the PDP camp led by Elder Felix Obuah. While being guarded by four policemen on his hospital bed, he (Lloyd) sneaked out through the hospital’s back door in three tinted bulletproof jeeps and escaped.
“On receipt of the information of the escape of Chidi Lloyd, the Commissioner of Police, Mbu J. Mbu, directed a thorough search on all jeeps, while the CP himself personally drove to the Air Force Base where he met with His Excellency, Governor Amaechi Rotimi, and a private jet waiting for take-off.
“As soon as he (CP) alighted, he saluted the governor. The governor ignored him and showered a rain of abuses on the commissioner of police, but the CP kept calm. Unfortunately for Chidi Lloyd, the eagle-eyed police patrol vehicles intercepted him and the CP was informed immediately and he left the Air Force Base for his office, ignoring the abuses from the governor. After waiting in vain for Chidi Lloyd’s arrival, the Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, boarded his jet and took off in anger.”
However,the governor’s Chief Press Secretary,Mr.David Iyofor,said the story put out by the police was a ”completely distorted and untrue account” of what happened.
He said Governor Amaechi has no private plane or jet, as claimed by the police and Lloyd “was nowhere near the plane that took the Governor from Port Harcourt to Abuja.”
Governor Amaechi,he added, “was about to leave for Abuja, when he was informed that the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, had ordered that the plane (which is not the governor’s private jet, as claimed by the police) cannot leave Port Harcourt because Hon. Lloyd was in the plane and about to ‘escape’ with Governor Amaechi.
“Shocked, several calls were put across to CP Mbu that were not answered. CP Mbu later showed up and when the governor asked him, he denied giving such an order. He then went on and on, making a baseless, noisy argument that no one could comprehend.
“Governor Amaechi put it to him that he (Mbu) came to search the plane for Chidi Llyod and told him to go ahead and search the plane. Mbu continued talking endlessly, showing absolutely no respect or regard for the office of the Governor of Rivers State, who is the Chief Security Officer of the state.
“Governor Amaechi then called the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). While the Governor was speaking with the IGP on the phone, CP Mbu was shouting at the Governor on top of his voice, trying to disrupt the conversation between the Governor and the IGP, to the shock and disbelief of those that were there.”
Iyofor said that the Governor only heard about Lloyd’s arrest in his (Lloyd’s) house in the presence of his family members and lawyer, Emenike Ebete,while the governor was away in Abuja.
Ebete also disputed the police claim.
Speaking on the phone yesterday,he said the police action was politically motivated.
He said Lloyd neither drove the car in question nor knew Ejeuo in his life time.
He said Lloyd was arrested in his (Lloyd’s) residence and not the Air Force Base as claimed and Lloyd personally gave the police the direction to his house.
His words: “On 30th of December, 2013, Hon. Chidi Lloyd planned a get-together with his friends in his village, Akpabu (in Emohua LGA of Rivers State). The event that was supposed to start from 10 am did not start until 3.30 pm because of his (House leader’s) state of health.
“By the time the event was ending, it was around 10.30 pm. We tried to make him not to leave because of the time and his health, but he said since he had a driver and he had no reason to stay back.
“The accident happened in front of the Emohua Local Government Council Secretariat (along the ever-busy, but pothole-ridden East-West Road, still being dualised by the Federal Government). There was a stop-and-search police team. There was also a parked trailer, in front of which a Passat was parked, being checked by a policeman.
“As we approached the search-and-stop spot, another trailer was oncoming and instead of colliding with it, the driver of the car in which Hon. Lloyd was, swerved out of the road and ran into the Passat.
“The policemen doing the search died instantly. One of the four occupants died too. Two were taken to the hospital. One of the two had been discharged, while the other one is still receiving medical attention. The fourth person came out unhurt.”
Lloyd’s lawyer said Lloyd’s driver who was behind the wheels was immediately arrested and wrote a statement for the police.
He added:”The impact was so much that there was smoke in the car and all the occupants, including Lloyd, escaped from the car, through one door. After the accident, he (Lloyd) was taken to the hospital, Morning Star Clinic in D-Line, Port Harcourt and since the hospital is being renovated, in the morning, he was taken to Kelsy Harrison Memorial Hospital (owned by the Rivers State Government) on Emenike Street, Mile One, Diobu, Port Harcourt, where he was discharged around 4 pm on Thursday.
“Police called him (Lloyd) to say they wanted to see him over the accident. He directed them to his residence. The police team, led by a senior officer, Sola, took him away from his house, not anywhere near the Air Force Base or the governor’s aircraft, as indicated by the police. He followed them from his house.”
The State chapter of the PDP,in a statement by its spokesman, , Jerry Needam ,called for a thorough investigation of the matter.
He accused Governor Amaechi of continually harassing, intimidating and victimising PDP members and claimed that it had uncovered a plot to free Lloyd.
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