TheCable

Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday referred to Mbu Joseph Mbu, former commissioner of police in the state, as a disgrace to the police and a “puppet of a woman”.

On Monday, Mbu had directed a veil criticism at the governor, describing himself as a lion whom the governor could not forget in a hurry.

“Mbu is a puppet who completely lacks the steel and strength of character of a lion, and is rather a shameless, corrupt puppet and toothless attack dog of a woman,” David Iyofor, spokesman of the governor, wrote in a statement.

“Indeed its 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’s a shameless, corrupt puppet of a woman.

“This is a man paid by taxpayers 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 call himself a lion?”

Describing him as a disgrace, the governor said Mbu looted the state before leaving.

“How ironic! Mr. Mbu, no lion behaves like that! You are a disgrace and shame to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). He was the puppet of one 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.

“Mbu refused to pack out because he said he would come back here (to Rivers state) as the commissioner to organise the 2015 elections. When eventually he packed out and this is a long time after his successor had resumed here, he took everything including the carpet and nothing has happened to him; nobody has punished him for that.”

The governor and Mbu, who has just been appointed as the new AIG of Zone 7, were endured a fractious relationship in the state, with Amaechi believed to be anti-federal government, and Mbu allegedly backed by federal forces to make governance hard for the governor.