Prominent environmentalist and human rights advocate Ann-Kio Briggs has denounced the Nigeria Police Force’s conduct in Rivers State, citing gross dereliction of duty.

On Channels Television’s Politics Today, Briggs asserted that Rivers residents would be compelled to defend themselves if authorities failed to protect them.

Briggs criticized the police for cherry-picking court orders, specifically regarding the election of 23 local government chairmen. She also condemned the withdrawal of police officers from local council secretariats despite Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s warning of impending violence.

Certain local governments, Briggs noted, have refused to relinquish power despite expired tenures, sparking unrest. The police, she argued, have exacerbated the situation by abandoning newly elected chairmen to danger.

Briggs expressed dismay that President Bola Tinubu has neglected Rivers’ pleas for intervention for over a year, leaving the state vulnerable.