Police Dispersed Gathering of 13,000 Newly Recruited Teachers In Rivers State

Port Harcourt, Nigeria – Armed Policemen Chase Thirteen Thousands (13,000) Newly Recruited Teachers, who were invited by the Rivers State Government to receive their posting letters out of the Liberation Stadium at Elekahia in Port Harcourt, Rivers state Nigeria yesterday on an allegation that they were planning to stage protest against the number one citizen of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

The political saga in Rivers state took another form yesterday (Wednesday) as policemen fully armed disallow the entry of newly recruited teachers of Rivers state. The teachers are to meet with the commissioner of education, Mrs. Alice Lawrence-Nemi and collect their posting letters. Some of the teachers that arrived as early as 7:30 am were chase out of the stadium and others that try to enter were disallow into the stadium by the police.

The policemen chase the newly recruited teachers out of the stadium because they thought they were planning to stage protest against President Goodluck Jonathan.

One of the teacher chase out of the stadium said, “My Colleagues and I took the exam and we were successful. Now that the ministry of Education invited us to come and collect our letters of posting, see what the police have done to frustrate us”

According to Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, the Rivers State Commissioner of Information who described the action as impunity said, “These are people who have been unemployed. Nigeria is crying about unemployment, education system is in a mess and a government employs 13,000 teachers, trains them and wants to feed them into the system, and somebody chooses to treat this with levity and tear gas the teachers and give a very stupid excuse, saying that the teachers were there to protest against President Jonathan.”

Meanwhile, the police public relation officer in River states, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad said, “We got intelligence report that about 18,000 youths were being mobilized to protest against a very important personality in the country. You are aware that the ban on public procession in the state by the police is still in force.

“In all their activities, they (state government) have always invite us to provide security and we would provide security and leave at the end of such events. They did not write or invite us to this one.

“The police are not afraid of anything. They are only afraid of the breakdown of law and order and that is why they took such action today.” 

       

While reacting to the matter, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Education, Richard Ofuru said, “It was simply an administrative matter. We didn’t think it was necessary to inform the police.

“Remember, during the interview session in the recruitment process, this stadium was also used because of the number of applicants involved. We did not inform the police then and we did not have any problem.”

The chief of staff to Rivers state Government, Mr. Tony Okocha in his own reaction said, “It is crass display of naked power. The government and people of Rivers state now live under the state recently engaged 13,000 teachers for its primary and secondary schools and they were invited to collect their posting letters today at the stadium and Mbu Joseph deployed his men to despise them on suspicion that they were to demonstrate against the president.”