Smarting from its botched rally last Sunday in which the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, was allegedly shot by the police with rubber bullets, the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) has billed another rally for Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
For the Khana rally slated for next Sunday, the movement said it had again notified the police on the event and asked for police protection for those coming to attend the event.
The President of the Save Rivers Movement, Mr. Charles Aholu, yesterday showed copies of letters written to the police on the Khana rally to journalists.
According to him, it was only appropriate for the non-governmental organisation to inform the police of the Sunday rally.
He said the SRM was formed to promote good governance and accountability and educate the voting public on how to make sound voting choices ahead of next year’s general elections.
He said the SRM was formed to promote good governance and accountability and educate the voting public on how to make sound voting choices ahead of next year’s general elections.
Aholu said: “Our association is a non-governmental organisation that was formed to promote good governance, transparency, accountability and judicial best practices. It is an organisation that was formed to give impetus to the fact that the electorate have to exercise their rights with respect to electioneering activities come 2015.
“We have notified the police to provide us security for our (Save Rivers Movement) inauguration (and rally) in Khana.
“This is a notification to the entire world. Our lawyers have written to them (police) reminding them of the said notification, so we expect the police as a reasonable institution, as an institution that is supposed to be unbiased to provide security on that day (January 19)”.
“This is a notification to the entire world. Our lawyers have written to them (police) reminding them of the said notification, so we expect the police as a reasonable institution, as an institution that is supposed to be unbiased to provide security on that day (January 19)”.
Leader of the Rivers Caucus in the National Assembly and Senator representing Rivers-west Senatorial District, Senator Wilson Ake, also confirmed that the SRM had actually informed the police of the planned Khana rally.
He appealed to the police to accordingly provide security and expectedly remain non-partisan in the country’s political activities especially as the 2015 general elections draw nearer.
“We have been reliably informed and we have seen the document too that is before us that the leadership of Save Rivers Movement have notified the police of their impending launching and rally in Khana Local Government Area on Sunday.
“We decided to go to this length to assure the public that the Save Rivers Movement is a serious body and have at many given time followed the procedures as requested or required by law. We made sure and we are confirming it here they have indeed notified the police. We have two documents to confirm that.
“This is consequent upon what happened on Sunday to one of our colleagues. We have to take personal interest in what they are doing to stem what happened on Sunday from happening again and we want to appeal to the police to allow peace to reign, to provide security for all the citizens of Rivers State that would be at that venue on Sunday.
“We wouldn’t want what happened last Sunday to repeat as it has shown that the movement is made up of peace-loving and law-abiding citizens of this country and please let them (police) reciprocate this attitude of our people by giving them protection, by encouraging them to do what they are supposed to do on Sunday peacefully without any repeated ugly incident”.
He lamented the alleged police brutality on Senator Abe, warning that the police should not allow themselves be used by the opposition as tools for oppression.
Speaking in similar vein, the leader of the Rivers Caucus in the House of Representatives, Hon. Asita Honourable representing Ahoada-West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency also said they (National Assembly members) called on the police to properly discharge their responsibilities to the people by providing them security at next Sunday’s rally in Khana.
“It is the responsibility of the police to protect us. So, we are appealing to the police to please protect us on Sunday (January 19) that we plan to meet at a rally in Bori in Khana Local Government Area under the platform of the Save Rivers Movement.
“We are Rivers people, we want to save our state from the impending doom that may come if we don’t take the action that we are taking. So we are appealing to the police to please be non-partisan and provide protection for us,” he said.
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