Just as in the popular and notorious case of the Nsukka Rt Honourable Barr Kingsley Asogwa in lieu with the Enugu High Court ([url]Click[www.nigeriaandpolitics..com] for more story ), the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over alleged deteriorating human rights situation in the state.

Amaechi, in the petition to the Director-General of the commission, urged the body to urgently address what he described as the grave and deteriorating human rights situation in the state. The governor said the human rights clampdown had also affected him and thousands of people in the state.

He also urged the commission to address the brazen erosion of the fundamentals, which makes the guarantee, protection and promotion of human rights through the rule of law and good governance in the state, impossible.

According to him, 'There are on-going human rights violations in Rivers state falling within the investigative and other duties of the National Human Rights Commission.

'Abuses which need the independent and human rights competences and capabilities of the National Human Rights Commission as ably demonstrated in your ground-breaking engagement of the Baga incident and the situation in North-east Nigeria, which interim report bears many striking resemblance to the situation in Rivers state.'

Amaechi warned that if the deteriorating human rights situation in the state were not urgently addressed, there would be 'dire consequences, not just for the 5 million citizens within the state, but for the whole of Niger Delta and indeed, Nigeria as a whole.'

He said the petition was not politically-motivated and that its object was consistent with the constitution of the country.

The governor, specifically, urged the commission to investigate the dismantling of strategic public security networks, processes and capabilities within the state.

He alleged that the mode used by the state commissioner of police to exercise his duties were without recourse to necessary constitutional and legal standards.

'Currently, the commissioner barely acknowledges official communication from the governor, not to mention other principal agents of the state,' he alleged.

He also urged the commission to investigate wasteful, uncoordinated and unnecessarily duplicated security operations devoid of the synergy that was the norm before the arrival of Mr. Joseph Mbu.