GOVERNOR Chibuike Amaechi has acquired two Bell 412 EP police configured helicopter valued at $30 million for police in Rivers State.
And with the aid of technologically enhanced surveillance gadgets installed in strategic locations in Port Harcourt and its environs, the governor said 99 per cent of robbery and kidnapping incidents have been foiled by security operatives in the state recently.
Amaechi disclosed this at the Rivers State security and technology innovation forum organised by the government in Port Harcourt Thursday.
The governor who described the state investment in security as huge, explained that the two helicopters fitted with surveillance cameras will be flying round the whole of Rivers State on 24 hours basis.
Amaechi who assumed office in 2007 when law and order had completely broken down in the state due to activities of marauding militias groups, used the occasion to reiterate his clamour for states in Nigeria to have their own police.
"Our investment in security is huge and that is why I am an apostle of state police. If they give us state police we will do better because we have seen what the problems are. If the Federal Government wants to have police, it should have police, even if you don't want to clothe them, give them the necessary facilities that can make their works easy," he said.
He emphasized that the Federal Government which is the only tier of government constitutional empowered to own the police, must as a matter of obligation fund it. According to him, it is not enough to give them uniforms for them to be walking on the streets only to be overwhelmed by robbers wielding AK47.
"By law, the Nigeria Army is not supposed to be seen on the streets. They are always supposed to be in the barracks."
They can only fight when there is an invasion from outside. But if you see what they are doing, you can almost say because of the insecurity that there is a state of war in Nigeria. They have to come out to help. All those who are saying government should take away JTF in the past, if there was no JTF, all of you would run," he said.
