The Rivers State Police Command has said it would comply fully with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja which barred it from participating in the October 5 local government election in the state.
This came less than 24 hours after some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by the state party chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka, and their supporters protested against the conduct of the election by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
The protesters marched to the headquarters of the Department of State Services and the State Police Command in Port Harcourt asking the two agencies to respect the extant court order and hands off the poll, even as Aaron submitted a petition and a copy of the judgment to the officials of both outfits.
The police, however, explained that adhering to the court order does not mean that its operatives will fold their arms and allow security breaches.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt .
Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, said the decision is a sequel to the directives by the Force Legal Department that the ruling from the Federal High Court on September 30, 2024, takes precedence.
While insisting that it had studied the two court judgment it received restraining them from participating, she advised citizens to remain peaceful
PUNCH