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RIvers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has vowed to implement the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry report into the arson, murder and destruction of property at the local government headquarters in the state.
He gave this assurance when the seven-member committee, headed by Justice Roseline Minakiri, presented four volumes of reports on their investigations and recommendations to him at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.
On October 7, 2024, following the conduct of the October 5 local government elections in the state, hoodlums attacked three local government headquarters and burned properties of the municipal councils.
The development came after the governor insisted that local government elections should be held against the position of opposition political parties and loyalists of former governor Nyesom Wike.
There were also reports of killings and injuries before police restored order at the municipality’s headquarters.
The governor established a commission of inquiry to investigate the killings and arson at the council headquarters to end development in the state.
Presenting the report on Tuesday, Fubara said his government would no longer tolerate or allow such a level of violence in the state.
He said: “We are not going to be part of any system that would encourage any destruction in this state. And for that reason we had to install this commission so that it would investigate the remote and immediate causes of this problem.
“With God’s help and everyone’s support, we will ensure that we implement the recommendations.”
Fubara added: “We are going to take it to the next stage. The report will be presented to the Executive Council, and we will certainly present the white paper there. I can assure you that we will follow it to the end.
“As a government we will act quickly and decisively on the recommendations, issue a white paper and ensure that those responsible for the horrific acts face the full weight of the law.
“Rivers State deserves better and we will not tolerate actions that threaten our collective progress.
“No one is above the law, including me. So provided that what we do is within the bounds of the law, we will do it with the help of everyone.”
Fubara recalled how before 2014, a group of people ran wildly and recklessly through the state, burning down courthouses.
He noted that it was precisely such individuals who recently surfaced their destructive tendencies and spread violence to local government councils, killing people and destroying government property.
The governor wondered why anyone would spend so much money to build a structure that was meant to be a legacy of government but would ultimately be part of its destruction in the name of politics.
He clarified that he had never been part of such destructive policies that set the state backward and frustrated progressive development steps.
“I dare say it: I have never been and will never be party to anything that will bring shame, disgrace and destruction to our dear state.
“It’s our state. If we do well, everyone else will do well. Why would I encourage destruction, when I know that when you’re done ruining things, you still need money to rebuild them?
“I am an accountant and I know how important it is how we manage money. Instead of spoiling, you should use that money to do something new for the state,” he said.
He added: “So I’m going to make sure that we put an end to that level of violence or that level of unreasonable violence. I call it unreasonable violence because it means nothing in politics.
“Politics is an important matter. There is no permanent friend, no permanent enemy. Some people who didn’t even support us today are following us here because their interest is the most important thing.
“Tomorrow too, if interest changes, they will also go their other way. So why burn the house down?”
The Governor thanked the members of the commission for resolutely discharging their duties despite physical and legal threats.
Earlier, Judge Minakiri said the commission had compiled its findings in four parts, including the recommendations.
“We have four parts of the report here. We have the memoranda, which we received after we made our publications.
“We also have the exhibits that came with the memoranda. We have the procedure and the files. At the end of the day we came up with the main report,” she said.
Justice Minakiri recommended that the report’s recommendations be studied and implemented to deter people from such insensitive acts and ensure peace in the state.
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