The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Wednesday, made serious allegations against the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, claiming that the governor had played a role in facilitating the recent pipeline explosions in the state.
Speaking in defense of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency earlier that day, Fagbemi alleged that Fubara had indirectly guided militants responsible for the sabotage, although he stopped short of saying the governor was directly involved in orchestrating the attacks.
While not accusing the governor of personally carrying out the attacks, Fagbemi stated that Fubara had failed to take action to prevent the militants from damaging critical infrastructure, specifically pipelines in the region.
He said, “We are in a democracy. There were what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I say so is, when he began, he said oh, he will let them know when it was time to act.
“Let us say it was false. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week later, they swung into action. You saw or witnessed the vandalisation of oil pipelines.”
Fagbemi, on Wednesday, sharply criticized the actions surrounding the pipeline attacks in Rivers State, emphasizing that anyone responsible for tampering with Nigeria’s pipelines is not only a threat to Rivers but to the entire nation.
Fagbemi stated that the country’s heavy reliance on crude oil means that such acts of sabotage directly harm national security and economic stability.
In defense of President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, Fagbemi argued that the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly had failed to ensure a stable governance environment, leading to the suspension of the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state legislature for an initial six months.
President Tinubu made the announcement on Tuesday, citing political instability, constitutional violations, and ongoing security threats as the rationale for the extraordinary measure.
The political crisis, which has severely disrupted governance in Rivers State, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Tensions escalated following Fubara’s controversial demolition of the state’s House of Assembly complex in December 2023, which ignited a prolonged battle over the legitimacy of the legislature.
The situation further worsened when 27 lawmakers, loyal to Wike, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), leading to legal disputes about their legitimacy.
In a landmark ruling on February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court validated the defected lawmakers, calling out Fubara’s actions as unconstitutional and likening them to despotic rule.
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The ruling underscored that the state had effectively collapsed into a one-man rule, with no functioning legislature.
Despite the court’s decision, governance in the state remained paralyzed, with the Rivers State House of Assembly and the executive failing to cooperate. As of March 2025, the state’s Annual Appropriation Bill had not been passed.
The political chaos was further compounded by a series of explosions targeting critical pipeline infrastructure. On Monday night, an explosion rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community, located in Gokana Local Government Area.
Another explosion occurred on Tuesday at a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area. These attacks came amid reports of militants allegedly acting with Fubara’s support.
In his address, President Tinubu expressed grave concern over the recent wave of pipeline vandalism, linking the violence to a larger network of unrest and instability that has engulfed Rivers State.
To oversee the state’s affairs and restore order, the President appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator for the next six months. Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, served under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2021.
