By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has alleged that the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is an accomplice by default in the blow-up of pipelines by militants in the state.
Fagbemi accused Fubara of failing to dissuade militants from vandilising oil facilities in Rivers at the height of the crisis in the state.
Fagbemi made the accusation on Wednesday while defending President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency hours earlier.
He, however, noted that the governor was not directly culpable. 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 argued that with the nation almost “reliant on crude oil, anyone “touching” the pipeline is not only an enemy of Rivers but Nigeria.”
The minister said Fubara and the members of the state House of Assembly had to be suspended as they failed to ensure a conducive atmosphere for governance in the state.
Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
In his national broadcast, Tinubu cited prolonged political instability, alleged constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.
The crisis, which according to some, has paralysed governance in the oil-rich state, stems from a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of the measures, the President also appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs until normalcy is restored. Ibas served as Chief of Naval Staff from 2015 to 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Rivers State political turmoil escalated after Fubara demolished the state’s House of Assembly complex in December 2023, leading to a prolonged battle over the legitimacy of the legislative arm.
The crisis further deepened when 27 lawmakers, loyal to Wike, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, prompting legal disputes over their status.
On February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the lawmakers remained valid members of the Assembly, faulting the governor’s actions as unconstitutional and tantamount.
The judgment noted that Rivers State had effectively collapsed into one-man rule due to the absence of a functioning legislature.
Despite the ruling, governance remained stalled, with the Assembly and executive failing to cooperate.
As of March 2025, the state’s annual Appropriation Bill had not been passed.
On Monday night, an explosion rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community in Gonna Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The explosion occurred near the Bodo-Bonny Road under construction.
Another explosion reportedly occurred on Tuesday at a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa axis of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the State.
Citing fresh security concerns, Tinubu expressed worries over the recent vandalisation of oil pipelines by militants, allegedly acting in support of Fubara.
