BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT—RIVERS State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, has warned labour unions in the state not to forcefully shut down operations at public institutions in their bid to ensure compliance with their strike order.

Noting that such act was an offence, Mbu, at the  Police headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,  also accused some top government functionaries in the state of urging the unions to embark on strike over Police presence at Obio/Akpor Local Government Area secretariat.

He maintained that the Police was not a political institution, as his men were at Obio/Akpor council  secretariat to protect government property from being vandalised by hoodlums.

He said: “Unions should not barricade offices because they want people to join them in the strike, it is an offence.  They should not force institutions to join  the strike. It has come to the knowledge of security operatives that some highly placed persons in government are going round to buy support from the unions to join the strike action against the action of the Police in protecting Obio/ Akpor council secretariat.  Policemen are not politicians. We are here to protect lives and property.”