There was mild drama at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, after security operatives attached to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), staged a protest over the non-payment of their entitlements.
Naijaonpoint reports that the incident briefly disrupted activities within the Brick House as heated arguments broke out among the operatives before senior officers stepped in to restore order.
A source at the Government House who spoke with Vanguard said the protest started when protocol officials informed the security team that the Administrator was leaving for Abuja.
“The security men thought Vice Admiral Ibas was relocating back to Abuja,” the source, who asked not to be named, told Vanguard.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the operatives were seen chanting and demanding their outstanding allowances.
The noise attracted the attention of a senior security officer within the facility, who came out to intervene.
“After persuasion, the protesting officers were told that the Administrator was only travelling for an emergency meeting in Abuja and would return,” the source added.
Normalcy was eventually restored, though the incident exposed discontent among the operatives as Ibas prepares to round off his six-month tenure as Sole Administrator on September 18.
As of press time, the Rivers State Government had not issued an official statement on the matter.
However, it was gathered that management staff at the Brick House were fully aware of the protest.
Meanwhile, Ibas’ convoy was sighted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, awaiting his return from the undisclosed meeting in Abuja.