Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the prosecution of the 14 persons who hid in two trailers conveying cattle from Adamawa State to come into Port Harcourt.
This is some indigenes of Cross River State have described the recent verbal attack on Governor Ben Ayade by Wike as an unwarranted and reckless ranting.
With the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Rivers State now at 17, the governor alleged that security personnel at the various boundaries of the state were collecting bribe to allow people into the state.
He accused the security operatives of sabotaging the government’s efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Wike said that the trailers were intercepted at Rumuigbo in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area following an intelligence report from well-meaning Nigerians who spotted the trailers making their way into Port Harcourt last Thursday night.
The governor, who imposed an indefinite 24-hour curfew in Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor from Thursday, visited the scene where the defaulters were arrested and detained and promptly ordered the Mobile Court constituted by his administration under Executive Order 6 to prosecute them.
Wike also instructed the state Ministry of Health to conduct tests on the 14 persons to ascertain their coronavirus status.
“This fight has nothing to do with individuals. The law must take its course. You are aware of what is happening and then some people want to illegally smuggle persons into the state. Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor are under lockdown and the law must be obeyed. The trailers and the cows will be auctioned tomorrow,” he said.
Wike had while addressing a press conference, recently, described Ayade as one of the good boys of the Federal Government because the controversial rice donated to the state by the Federal Government was conveyed through Cross River.
A former Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) governorship candidate in the state, Goddie Akpama, said Wike should not expect Ayade to automatically become an enemy of Abuja because he (Wike) considers himself an enemy of the Federal Government.
Akpama said: “Were the rice 1,800 bags of rice sent to Rivers State through Cross River State in Ayade’s custody? Is it not ironic and childish for Wike to claim that Rivers State does not need rice, yet he turns around to cry uncontrollably over the same rice? If Wike knows anything like honour, he would have ignored the rice, avoided mentioning Ayade’s name and concentrated on his Covid-19 briefing.
“Let it be known to him and his deluded supporters, even in Cross River State, that Ayade was not elected in 2015 and 2019 to fight the Federal Government. Ayade did not make any campaign promise that he will fight the Federal Government if elected Governor of Cross River State.
“He only promised to do his best to improve the economic and total wellbeing of Cross River State and Cross Riverians, through justifiable means, including soliciting and getting the necessary financial and other forms of support from the Federal Government.”
