The Civil Liberties Organization and over 40 affiliate organisations and the National Union of Local Government Employees have given deadlines to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to withdraw policemen from the 23 local government councils in Rivers State.
The South South Zonal Chairman of the CLO, Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, made this known to newsmen on Friday.
Georgewill said: “We give the Nigerian Police a seven-day ultimatum which expires next Friday, June 28, 2024, to withdraw its men from the 23 secretariats across the local government areas of the state.
“We are at the moment consulting with all our affiliates and we are giving the police Command a time of grace to do the needful.
“We have a Governor, who has decided the crisis arising from the local government tenure imbroglio by swearing in a new caretaker committee to carry out the administrative work at the councils pending the conduct of LG elections.
“A competent court of jurisdiction had ruled that the Martins Amaewhule Assembly had no right to make laws for the extension of the tenure of the past council chairmen. Police ought to obey the subsisting judgment and remain neutral in the matter pending the final ruling by the Appeal Court.”
In a statement on Friday, NULGE also called on the police to vacate the premises of the council secretariats and allow local government workers access to the offices to carry out their legitimate duties.
A statement by the Rivers State Chairman of NULGE, Comrade Clifford Paul, said: “We call on the Rivers State Police Command to immediately withdraw all police personnel from the council secretariats in the state.
“The presence of these personnel has denied our local government workers access to the offices preventing them from carrying out their legitimate duties.
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“The NULGE therefore gives the Nigerian Police Force a deadline of Monday, June 24, 2024, to vacate all local government secretariats in Rivers State and to ensure that our workers are granted unhindered access to their workplace.
“It is imperative that the normal function of local government councils is restored to continue serving the third tier effectively.
“However, we want to reiterate that the local government workers are not partisan and should not be brought into politics.
“We are core civil servants.”