Governor WIKE had over the weekend tried to make clarifications why the helicopters were abandoned, stressing that he had written to President MUHAMMADU BUHARI requesting that the two helicopters be handed over to the Nigerian Air Force.
Governor WIKE said he took the decision because of the high custom duty on the helicopters and the refusal of the Federal Government to grant the Rivers State Government a waiver to clear the aircraft.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media; Governor WIKE wandered where the Rivers State Government would get money to import armoured helicopters.
The Governor who gave this indication in an interview with some visiting editors, accused Nigerian security agencies of resorting to political propaganda and outright lies in addressing the circumstances of the abandoned helicopters.
However; the former Governor and now Minister of Transportation, ROTIMI AMAECHI, has weighed in on the controversy, by accusing Governor WIKE of playing politics with the safety and security of Rivers people.
The position of the Minister was contained in a statement released by his Media Office, in which he explained that the helicopters were procured to curb the menace of criminals in the state, which he noted has further worsened under the Wike Administration.
The statement noted that Governor WIKE decided to abandon the helicopters because he does not care about the safety and security of lives and property in the State.
Tracing the history of the procurement of the armoured helicopters, the statement noted that the immediate-past administration ordered the two Bell 412 security surveillance aircraft based on the recommendation of security experts and with the consent of the Office of National Security Adviser.
It said trouble started many months later when the helicopters became ready for the Rivers State Government to take possession and use them to fight crime and the criminals in the state.
The Rotimi Amaechi Media Office alleged that the former administration of President GOODLUCK JONATHAN frustrated all attempts by the Rivers State government to take possession of the helicopters.
It alleged that the present Governor, NYESOM WIKE, who was a minister in the GOODLUCK JONATHAN’s cabinet, played a major role in the conspiracy to prevent Rivers State government from taking possession of the helicopters.
The AMAECHI Media Team accused Governor WIKE of inundating President JONATHAN with lies and fake stories of how the Governor then wanted to use the helicopters for presidential campaigns against JONATHAN.
