Wike storms Nunieh’s house rescues her from police

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday 16th July, 2020, stormed the Port Harcourt residence of a former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Ms. Joy Nunieh, and thwarted an attempt by policemen to take her away.

Before the police invaded her home, Nunieh had vowed to expose alleged misdeeds of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, who she accused of being the mastermind of the attempt to abduct her.

It was gathered that the police had occupied Nunieh’s residence at 3 Owuru Creek View, off Herbert Macaulay Street, Amada-Flat fur bours until Wike arrived at the scene about 10.30 a.m. yesterday.

Reports had it that Wike’s action followed a call from Nunieh that armed policemen, without arrest warrant had invaded her premises at about 4:00 a.m. and had attempted to break in.

It was gathered that as soon as the governor alighted from his car, he asked the policemen for the warrant of arrest but they failed to produce any. At that point, he ordered them to leave the premises.

Below is the the conversation that ensued between the governor and the policemen:

Wike: What kind of country are we in? I say, out.

Policeman: We will remain here Sir; we are to come with her, with due respect, Sir.

Wike: All of you came to invite her.

Policeman: Even the CP had been here.

Wike: It does not matter. Can’t you invite her? All of you, out.

Nunieh: They broke my back door.

The governor  who was escorted by policemen and officials of the Department of State Services, asked Nunieh to come down. She did, entered his car and was driven away to the Government House, a few metres away.

It was learnt policemen had stormed Nunieh’s residence at about 4 am when she was getting set to leave for the airport to board the first flight to Abuja to appear before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating alleged misappropriation of N81.5 billion by the NDDC Interim Management Committee between October 2019 and May 2020.

Nunieh, while briefing journalists at the Government House, said she was notified of the presence of some persons around her gate.

She said, “I tried to reach the governor because he had told me if I saw any strange movement, I should alert him.

“They said they came to take me away. I said for what? Do they have a warrant of arrest? They said no warrant of arrest.”

She claimed that about 6 am, the policemen broke the gate and forced their way into her premises. Shortly after, she received a call from the commissioner of police, who said he was not aware of the operation.

She also alleged that a few minutes after, the policemen tried to lure her out of the house, telling her the commissioner of police had come to meet with her but that as she tried to come out, the officers attempted to abduct her.

“They tried to break through the back door, it is a security door. They kept hitting at it for over one hour, they could not get access. So my governor came and asked them for the warrant of arrest and why they didn’t invite me to the police, that I would have come instead of going to take a woman as a criminal. So, the governor took me in his car and I am here. I am a refugee in the Government House. I was supposed to be going today to Abuja to make my submission before the House of Representatives committee,” she said.

She accused Akpabio of plotting to stop her from giving her submission to the House of Representatives. She said though he had succeeded, she was however optimistic that the House would give her another day to appear and open more can of worms.