A thousand Mbus can’t tame me, says Amaechi

Amaechi and Mbu

The Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said that a thousand Mbus, (a former commissioner of Police in the state) cannot tame him or the people of the state.

Amaechi described a former state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, as a puppet.

The governor, who was responding to Mbu’s description of himself as a lion that succeeded in taming the leopard of Port Harcourt (veiled reference to the governor), explained that Mbu lacked the steel and strength of character of a lion.

Mbu, who was recently promoted Assistant Inspector-General of Police, had while handing over to the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, Wilson Inalegwu, stated that he was able to tame the state governor when he was serving in the state.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, and issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the governor said Mbu trampled on masses and chose to be a partisan servant of one woman.

He said, “A thousand Mbus can neither tame Governor Amaechi nor the people of Rivers State to surrender their constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights to anyone, no matter how highly placed.

“Indeed, it is very sad, pathetic; however, ironic that Mbu called himself a lion. Which lion? This character called Mbu Joseph Mbu completely lacks the courage, steel and strength of character of a lion. Rather he is a shameless, corrupt puppet of a woman.

“This is a man paid by tax payers to protect, secure and serve the interests of the people. But when he was in Rivers State, he spurned the people; he trampled on the masses and rather elected to be the partisan servant of one woman, to be the woman’s tool in causing disaffection, confusion and crises in Rivers State.

“Mbu shamelessly and corruptly turned himself into the toothless attack dog of this woman to fight the government and people of Rivers State. How can a man who has no strength of character to be himself, be a man and stand up to a woman, a man who willingly submits himself to serve as the puppet of a woman calls himself a lion? How ironic! Mr. Mbu, no lion behaves like that.”

Amaechi maintained that Mbu epitomized everything that was wrong with the police in Nigeria, recalling that the former police commissioner did not only disobey the Inspector General of Police during his time in Rivers State, but also acted lawlessly.

“All these, Mbu did because he was the puppet of one woman, a woman who clearly has no constitutional role to play in the governance of Rivers State or Nigeria. Mbu’s only claim to fame and prominence is because he has turned himself into a willing tool and servant of this woman. Mbu is a very bad example of a police officer,” he added.

Amaechi also recalled that Mbu disobeyed the IGP’s instruction to leave his official residence in Rivers State when he (Mbu) left the state.