NBA Conference Puts Rivers Security Under Spotlight–Police

The presence of thousands of lawyers in Port Harcourt for the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association is turning into an unexpected test of Rivers State’s security credentials.

For the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, the fact that the NBA chose the state for one of Nigeria’s biggest professional gatherings — and that the conference is proceeding — sends a powerful message to those who have portrayed Rivers as unsafe.

Adepoju made the assertion on Wednesday night, August 26, 2026, while hosting police lawyers from various zones and commands to a dinner at the Officers’ Mess, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

According to him, the NBA conference has provided an opportunity for Rivers to demonstrate its security preparedness before a national audience.

“You have brought the conference to Rivers, and we are very happy. It contradicts the negative impression that Rivers is not safe,” Adepoju said.

He said the police responded to the influx of lawyers and other conference participants by strengthening security operations across the state.

“So, we put everything in place to make you enjoy yourselves and to make the state safe. We have locked down the state since you came, with deployments to every nook and cranny of the state,” he said.

The commissioner said the police were determined to ensure that visitors attending the conference could enjoy their stay without security concerns.

But beyond the conference, the dinner also provided an opportunity for the police to turn the spotlight on an often-overlooked arm of law enforcement — its legal officers.

Adepoju described the gathering as a deliberate gesture of appreciation to police lawyers, whom he said had remained vital to the operations of the force.

“We are having this dinner specially to celebrate you. You have been wonderful, and we cannot do without showing our appreciation,” he said.

For CSP Stephen Onwochei, the State Legal Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, the meeting represented the point where two essential institutions — policing and the law — intersect.

He said effective policing could not be separated from a strong legal system, stressing that both were necessary for peace, security and development.

“The legal profession occupies a strategic position in every civilised society. Equally, policing remains one of the most critical institutions for maintaining law and order,” Onwochei said.

He added that the gathering allowed participants to exchange ideas, strengthen professional relationships and recognise the role of police lawyers in the administration of justice.

Also speaking, CP Aremu Silas, Director of the Directorate of Force Legal Services at Force Headquarters, Abuja, urged police legal departments across the country to raise their standards.

Silas said IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, who previously served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, remained appreciative of the work carried out by the command’s Directorate of Legal Services.

He urged other commands to emulate the Rivers example, noting that police lawyers could not win every case but were expected to handle each matter diligently.

“I will implore the legal departments of various states to emulate the performance of the Directorate of Legal Services of Rivers State. The IGP wants us to up our game,” Silas said.

With the NBA conference placing Rivers before thousands of legal professionals from across the country, the police are now presenting the event as more than a professional gathering — but as a public demonstration of the state’s security capacity.