Wike visits families of slain officers, pledges N20m

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Wednesday paid a condolence visit to the families of Police officers and other people allegedly killed by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) during the #EndSARS protest.

Recall that the Police authorities in the state accused members of the pro-Biafra group of hiding under the #EndSARS protests to kill three police officers in the state.

The Commissioner of police in Rivers State, Joseph Mukan, who briefed the press last week in Port Harcourt, gave the identity of the slain officers as: Sunday Dubon, an inspector attached to anti-kidnapping unit, whose corpse was said to have been burnt; Swawale Ornan, a sergeant attached to 19 Police Mobile Force on Special Duty at Oyigbo, whose corpse was also burnt; and Umunna Uchechukwu, a sergeant with Afam police station, whose legs and hands were cut off before he was burnt to ashes.

Mukan said IPOB invaded Oyigbo local government area on October 21, launched “senseless and mindless attacks on the area command, Oyigbo and Afam police stations, and burnt down the three stations.”

Reacting to the violence, the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, last Friday declared one Stanley Mgbere, said to be a leader of IPOB in the state, wanted over the violence in Oyigbo.

The governor announced a N50 million reward to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of Mgbere.

Speaking during the visit on Wednesday, Wike encouraged the police not to be discouraged in their duty of protecting lives and property as society would run into chaos without the Police.

He went on to pledge a support of N20 million Naira to each bereaved Police family as he also promised to rebuild the police stations and barracks that were burnt by IPOB.

IPOB, which wants an independent Biafra country, has been proscribed by the Nigerian government which labels it a terrorist organization.