₦airaland Forum

Soldiers hold Fubara, family hostage at Rivers governor’s residence

Attempts by Mr Fubara and his family to pack their belongings out of the Government House have been rebuffed by the soldiers, who suppressed all movements around the premises.


Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his family members are being held hostage at the Government House, Port-Harcourt, by a contingent of heavily armed soldiers Tuesday night, Peoples Gazette has learnt.

The development comes moments after President Bola Tinubu invoked Section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution to proclaim a state of emergency in Rivers. The Nigerian leader based his controversial move on a prolonged and rapidly escalating political feud led by state lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike, who commenced impeachment proceedings against Mr Fubara last week to settle scores in his fallout with Mr Wike, who engineered Mr Fubara’s election in 2023 despite corruption charges.

Rivers government sources told The Gazette that soldiers carrying out the president’s instructions on declaring the state of emergency barricaded all entrances and exits to the government house immediately after the president’s speech.

Attempts by Mr Fubara and his family to pack their belongings out of the Government House have been rebuffed by the soldiers, who suppressed all movements around the premises.

“We are being held hostage,” an affected official told The Gazette from the scene on Tuesday night. “They said they don’t have instruction to let anyone leave the premises.”

It was unclear whether the soldiers implemented their duties as instructed or were overzealous in following specific orders.

Spokespersons for the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters did not immediately return requests seeking comments about the soldiers’ treatment of the Fubaras.

Mr Tinubu’s declaration to suspend the feuding parties from office for six months, effective Tuesday, sparked furious debates across social media as netizens argued whether the president had constitutional grounds to suspend an elected governor whom the state lawmakers have not yet impeached. Efforts to impeach Mr Fubara began on Monday, barely 24 hours before Mr Tinubu imposed an emergency ordinance.

Lawyers like Inibehe Effiong and Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana have excoriated the president for taking the law into his own hands without regard for the Constitution’s position.

The president named the retired chief of naval staff, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as the military administrator in Rivers in the interim.

ukukaegbu:
Asari Dokubo, it's time to act.

Shebi na Igbos be your problem?

SmartPolician:
After watching how Fubara pulled down Rivers State HoA (a structure that nobody can afford to build in his entire lineage), I have now come to the realisation that the house members should've kicked him out a long time ago.

BTW, Nigeria needs a public accountability office that will punish these political leaders for all the mess they made while in office. This country cannot continue like this.

owobokiri:
Stop injecting your peculiar strand of nuisance into the whole discuss. You guys are all over the place and nowhere in particular. He pulled down the house, so what? This happened almost 2byears ago. They ere trying to impeach him barely few days after being sworn in because he was not opening the vaults of the state to be assaulted by Wike. He should have stood hands akimbo and allowed them.to chase him away? This is why tyrants have been ruling you lot for almoat century now

SmartPolician:
This comment disgusts me!

helinues:
Toh

helinues:
Toh

The route Fubara could have avoided had he listened to all the advise

id4sho:
Gettat arraherrrr

helinues:
Toh

The route Fubara could have avoided had he listened to all the advise

obi4eze:
Shut up! What about Wike who is causing trouble in the state?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62f_GnqA14o?

sweerychick:
Tinubu this is the same way you’ll be held hostage by soldiers when your time is up. It’s very clear that you the one that is main protagonists in Rivers State crisis, it shall never be well with your administration. You claim to be a champion of democracy but in reality you have destroyed the very essence of democracy. You have just succeeded in setting this country ablaze, watch how these militants would wreck havoc in Niger delta all because of your incompetence.

sweerychick:
Tinubu this is the same way you’ll be held hostage by soldiers when your time is up. It’s very clear that you the one that is main protagonists in Rivers State crisis, it shall never be well with your administration. You claim to be a champion of democracy but in reality you have destroyed the very essence of democracy. You have just succeeded in setting this country ablaze, watch how these militants would wreck havoc in Niger delta all because of your incompetence.

helinues:
Toh

The route Fubara could have avoided had he listened to all the advise

helinues:
Make una express una self without always attacking others

Wetin self

SmartPolician:
After watching how Fubara pulled down Rivers State HoA (a structure that nobody can afford to build in his entire lineage), I have now come to the realisation that the house members should've kicked him out a long time ago.

BTW, Nigeria needs a public accountability office that will punish these political leaders for all the mess they made while in office. This country cannot continue like this.

obi4eze:
Shut up again! Why concentrate on Fubara alone? Is he the only party in the crisis?