The Rivers State Commisioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, has said that the leader House of Assembly, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, who is currently in police custody was neither tortured, assaulted or blindfolded when he arrived Port Harcourt, on Friday, July 26, from the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja.
He said that all personal demands made by the lawmaker were attended to by the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Emmanuel Chinda.
“Lloyd, to my knowledge lacks nothing. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Emmanuel Chinda, provides all his needs. The commissioner comes into the State CID regularly to attend to his needs”.
Mbu Explained: “There is no reason for the police to torture Chidi Lloyd. The police is not extracting any information any from him to warrant accusations of torture or assault as being erroneously alleged. The act for which Lloyd is being detained is even in the public domain. He is being detained to answer charges already proffered against by the police”.
“No police officer in the Rivers State Police Command would attempt to spray tear gas into Chidi Lloyd’s eyes because no police office in my command has any brief to do so, and no police from our command would do so. Lloyd is in a special office at the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID. He is in an air conditioned office. His phones have been released to him and he calls anyone at any time that he wants to”, Mbu assured.
Reacting to allegations that he ordered that the Leader of the House be blindfolded and tortured, the commissioner of police disclosed that he has not seen Lloyd since he was brought to Port Harcourt, on Friday, July 26, from Abuja.
“I have not seen Lloyd since he arrived in Port Harcourt. For his personal safety, I ordered that he be driven from the airport in an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC. We received very sensitive information that the family members of Hon. Michael Chinda, whom he attacked, in the chamber of the House, on Tuesday, July 9, were gearing up for a reprisal attack on Lloyd, and it is our professional duty as policemen to protect him from being attacked”, Mbu emphasized.
Meanwhile, when visited at the State CID where he is currently being detained, Lloyd was lying down on a couch in the office of a senior police officer, while his right ankle was being massaged with an Agbonike balm.
He refused being photographed on the pretext that he was not a movie star.
Lloyd objected: “Why are you doing this to me? I am not a movie star; I am a legislator; I am a lawyer. I have not committed murder; I have not killed anybody, why are you treating me this way. Please…please don’t take my photograph”.He also objected to being interviewed: “I won’t say anything in the absence of my lawyers. Please leave me alone, ah..ah..what …what? I was not arrested. I willingly presented myself to the police. I have been in this condition for one week, have I not tried. Lloyd became emotional. The reporter had to leave?”
