The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has accused Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of covertly directing militants to sabotage oil pipelines amid the state’s ongoing political crisis.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, Fagbemi asserted that the governor became complicit when he allegedly put militants on standby in response to impeachment threats against him.
According to the AGF, Fubara failed to distance himself from militants who later carried out acts of vandalism against critical oil infrastructure.
“We are in a democracy. There was what I will call telegraphing of the militants by the governor. He said he would let them know when to act, and when the time came, he did not disown them,” Fagbemi stated.
He stressed that for a country dependent on oil revenue, any act of pipeline destruction is a direct attack not only on Rivers State but on the entire nation.
Fagbemi dismissed criticisms that the federal government acted hastily in declaring a state of emergency, arguing that the deteriorating security situation left no alternative.
He cited widespread fear, unrest, and threats to governance in the state as justification for suspending both the governor and his deputy, calling the situation “extraordinary.”
The political crisis in Rivers State has intensified amid power struggles between Governor Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, with mounting concerns over stability in the oil-rich region.
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