Boko Haram: Security beefed up in Rivers Govt House

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Monday, February 20th, 2012

State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari

February 20, 2012 by Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt

Security has been beefed up around the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following the activities of members of the Boko Haram sect.

Apart from the increased presence of policemen within the premises of the Government House also known as the Brick House, visitors and workers were thoroughly searched before being allowed in.

Our correspondent observed that visitors without identification card were summarily turned back while guests were asked to park their vehicles five poles away from the gate.

Also, journalists, who were invited to the Government House, had to park their cars far away from the second gate – the entrance to the offices of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and that of the Deputy Governor.

A security agent at the gate told our correspondent that the directive was to forestall any incident that could breach security around the Government House.

“We were directed not to allow visitors to come in with their cars. Those that came with their cars are expected to park them far away from the gate. What we are doing is to maintain security,” the security operative said.

An employee in the Government House said the new strategy of having visitors park far away from the gate was to avoid attacks.

“You are aware of how the Boko Haram people operate. They come in with bombs in their vehicles. So, it is better for people to park far from the gate in order to prevent any ugly incident.

“Though we are not expecting any attack from Boko Haram, it is necessary to be proactive and ward off any move by criminal elements,” the Government House employee, who refused to be named, said.

The new Chief of Staff, Mr. Tony Okocha, had told Government House staff that new security measures would be put in place.

Okocha told the workers to understand that the Government House environment was a restricted area that did not allow indiscriminate movement.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, on Sunday, said it was normal for security agents to continue to strategise in order to prevent any ugly incident within the Government House.

Seminitari, however, explained that there was no security threat to the Government House, adding that proactive security measures were necessary at all times.wp_posts