The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, on Wednesday accused the suspended Governor of Rivers State of tele-guiding militants in the Niger Delta to blow up crude oil pipelines.
AGF Fagbemi who briefed State House Correspondents on President Bola Tinubu’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, said no responsible government would sit back and watch the ugly situation in the state get out of hand without taking steps to salvage the protracted political crisis.
“We are in a democracy. So, know them. There was what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I said so was that when he began, he said, ‘Oh, he will let them know when it was time to act’ to the militants.
“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 vandalization of oil pipelines,” Fagbemi stressed.
Tinubu in a nationwide broadcast suspended Rivers state Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected legislators, a decision that has sparked off wide criticisms.
Fagbemi, who justified Tinubu’s position, said the degeneration of the crisis, which resulted in the bombing of some oil installations, warranted the state of emergency in the first instance.
He said the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State was to protect the critical national infrastructure in the state.
The AGF explained that the destruction of the State House of Assembly by the Siminalayi Fubara 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 Governor 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 noted that with the state of emergency now in place, allocations meant for the state would be released to them at the request of the new sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas.
While emphasizing Nigeria’s total reliance on oil, the AGF explained that anyone who touches the pipeline is not only an enemy of Rivers State but of Nigeria.
He observed that the governor and the members of the State House of Assembly had to be suspended because they failed to ensure a conducive atmosphere for governance in the state.
Mr Ibas who has already been sworn in by President Tinubu will essentially govern the oil-rich state for the next six months but his policies have to be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
