IT is unconventional to ignore local security plans by security operatives on presidential duty, Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Mr Suleiman Abba, has observed  as he testified at the Commission of Inquiry on last Saturday’s stampede in Port Harcourt, which resulted in the death of 11 persons.

The Commissioner, who said security operatives from Abuja asked his men on ground at the Liberation stadium venue to stand down, advised that in future, such  should not be done as it was unconventional.

Continuing, the Commissioner blamed the stampede on poor crowd control. According to him, several security operatives on ground were allegedly assigned same duty, a situation that created confusion.

Abba who noted that he had led presidential security escort in the past, said in the future, people should be assigned clear cut duties.

“We must realise that diversifying of responsibilities will not help. Sending many agencies to same duty without leadership will only lead to confusion. Planning major activities is the duty of the secret service and it ends there, while the major operations are done by the police and the other security services.”

“Law enforcement should be streamlined for better performance, as long as somebody wants to be doing everybody’s work, there will always be confusion”  Adding, Assistant Commissioner of Police, in the state’s Criminal Investigation Department SCID, Mr Joseph Agaji, said the police in the state did not fire any shot that Saturday close to the gate of the Liberation stadium.