JUST IN: Fubara failed to disown militants threatening to bomb pipelines-Tinubu

By Kunle Sanni

President Bola Tinubu has accused Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara of failing to distance himself from militants who have threatened to attack oil pipelines.

President Tinubu said this during a live nationwide broadcast on Tuesday.

In past weeks, political tensions in Rivers State have escalated following the issuance of an impeachment notice to Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the state House of Assembly.

In response, militant groups, notably the Niger Delta Ground Fighters and the Niger Delta Development Force (NDDF), have threatened to attack oil installations if the impeachment proceeds.

On Tuesday morning, there were reports about an explosion near the Bodo-Bonny Road, which is under construction, affecting the country’s major liquid hydrocarbon delivery channel that can transport about 180,000 barrels of crude per day to the Bonny Export Terminal.

The development has raised concerns over security in the oil-rich state, with fears that such threats could escalate tensions and disrupt economic activities.

In his reaction, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

The President noted that despite the militants’ warnings of violence against perceived opponents of the governor, Fubara has not publicly disowned or condemned their threats.