Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has faulted the state police command’s account of the circumstances leading to the arrest, on Thursday, of the Leader of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, for alleged murder.

As reported yesterday by News Express and some other media, Lloyd was arrested for allegedly crushing Police Sgt. Urang Obediah and Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo, his kinsman and political arch-rival, with his car on Monday night. A police statement said the killings were not only intentional but that Lloyd was arrested while attempting to escape from Rivers in Amaechi’s company.

Governor Amaechi, however, disputed this through a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor. The statement described the claims of the police as “another attempt to hoodwink the public and discredit the Rivers State Governor.”

Below is Amaechi’s version of what happened:

1. Governor Amaechi has no private plane or jet as claimed by the police and Hon. Lloyd was nowhere near the plane that took the governor from Port Harcourt to Abuja.

2. The Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was about to leave for Abuja when he was informed that the Rivers State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu had ordered that the plane (which is not the governor’s private jet, as claimed by the police) cannot leave Port Harcourt because Hon. Lloyd was in the plane and about to ‘escape’ with Governor Amaechi.

3. Shocked, several calls were put across to CP Mbu that were not answered.

4. CP Mbu later showed up and when the governor asked him, he denied giving such an order. He then went on and on, making a baseless, noisy argument that no one could comprehend.

5. Governor Amaechi put it to him that he (Mbu) came to search the plane for Chidi Lloyd and told him to go ahead and search the plane. Mbu continued talking endlessly, showing absolutely no respect or regard for the office of the Governor of Rivers State who is the Chief Security Officer of the State.

6. Governor Amaechi then called the Inspector-General (IG) of Police; while the governor was speaking with the IG on phone, CP Mbu was shouting at the governor, on top of his voice, trying to disrupt the conversation between the Governor and the IG to the shock and disbelief of those that were there.

7. It was when Governor Amaechi arrived Abuja later in the evening of yesterday that he was informed that Hon Chidi Lloyd was arrested in his (Lloyd’s) house in the presence of his family and lawyer. And Hon. Lloyds’ lawyer had confirmed that he was arrested in his house.

News Express reports that this is the second time in six months that Lloyd would be getting into trouble with the law. He is currently facing a six-count charge in connection with the July 9, 2013 alleged attempted murder of an anti-Amaechi lawmaker, Hon. Michael Chindah, whose head he broke with the mace during the showdown between pro-and anti-Amaechi lawmakers.

•Photo shows Chidi Lloyd.

Update news