Pipelines’ Vandalisation: FG Accuses Fubara Of Complicity

• Alleges suspended Governor gave tacit support to Militants

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Wednesday accused the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, of backing militants to blow up pipelines in the state.

Fagbemi, who made the allegations while defending President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in the oil-rich State, said though the Governor was not directly culpable, he failed to act and dissuade the militants from going after the pipelines.

According to the Minister; “We are in a democracy. There were what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I say so is, when he began, he said oh, he will let them know when it was time to act.

“Let us say it was false. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week later, they swung into action. You saw or witnessed the vandalization of oil pipelines.”

Maintaining that the nation is almost reliant on crude oil, the AGF stated that anyone “touching” the pipeline is not only an enemy of Rivers but Nigeria, insisting that Fubara and the State House of Assembly members had to be suspended because they failed to ensure a conducive atmosphere for good governance in the state.

In his national broadcast on Tuesday declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months, President Bola Tinubu had cited prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats as reasons for the extraordinary measure.

Also citing fresh security reports, the President expressed concern over the recent vandalization of oil pipelines by militants and further alleged they were acting with the support of Fubara.

On Monday night, an explosion occurred near the Bodo-Bonny Road under construction rocking a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community in Gonna Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Hours later another explosion occurred on Tuesday at a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa axis of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the State.