On Wednesday, Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, justified President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency In Rivers following the escalated political crisis in the state.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after he met with the President at the Villa, Fagbemi alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines in the state.
THEWILL reported an explosion at the Trans-Niger Pipeline, operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which transports oil to the Bonny Terminal on Monday night and another, at an oil facility in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on Tuesday morning.
According to the AGF, the Governor deliberately did nothing to discourage the militants from taking destructive action on critical national infrastructure.
He said, “We are in a democracy. There was what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I said so was when he began, he said oh, he will let them when it was time to act to the militant.
“Let us say it was wrong. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week after, they swung into action, you see or witness vandalisation of oil pipelines.”
The AGF, however, blamed the governor and the members of the state house of assembly for his “unruly behaviours which culminated in a toxic atmosphere where governance in the state was jeopardised.”
Rationalising the President’s action, Fagbemi said the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers is meant to protect critical infrastructure in the state.
Fagbemi also said the destruction of the State House of Assembly by the Siminalayi Fubara-led government, preventing the lawmakers from discharging their responsibilities, was the genesis of the crisis that warranted the presidential declaration.
According to Fagbemi, the President indirectly gave Fubara a soft landing by allowing all warring parties in the crisis to make amends within six months. He said impeachment threats were already dangling before the governor.
The AGF, however, clarified that, with the state of emergency now in place, allocations meant for the state would be released to them at the request of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas, the new sole administrator.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
