From: TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State, have called for the reinforcement of operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Police Force in the state.
The APC leaders made the appeal, on Monday, when they led hundreds of their supporters on solidarity march for SARS personnel to the Police Command’s headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The party leaders said they were please with the activities of SARS operatives in the state, saying that instead of scrapping the unit, the Police high command should reinforce it for effective operation.
One of the leaders of the protesters and former governorship candidate of Labour (LP), Prince Tonye Princewill, said APC was in support of SARS’ reform, adding that the unit should be strengthened.
Tonye, who recently defected to the APC, noted that there was no organisation without bad eggs, and faulted the clamour by members of the public to scrap SARS.
He said: “We are here to support the reform. But, what we are saying is that SARS must stay”.
Similarly, former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dumo Lulu-Briggs, who was part of the APC stalwarts, reiterated the party’s satisfaction with SARS activities in the State.
He stated: “We are happy with what you are doing. We want your work to continue. We are saying that no matter what happens, SARS must stay”.
Meanwhile, State Chairman of APC, Davies Ikanya, has said the party was concerned about the call to scrap the Police crime-fighting unit.
Ikanya expressed: “We are concerned about the call for the scrapping of SARS. We are fully identifying with the protesters. This is our last hope. Let SARS and Police stay. We are calling for reinforcement of SARS personnel in Rivers State”.
In his response, Commissioner of Police in the state, Zaki Ahmed, thanked the protesters for the solidarity march, saying that security fight in the society required collective efforts.
He stated that the Force would continue to discharge its constitutional functions and noted that the anti-robbery squad has done much work in the State.
The Police boss vowed that criminals would not have a hiding place in the State, and assured the protesters that the Command would deliver their protest letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris.