Soldiers Allegedly Barred Rivers Gov, Fubara, Family From Leaving Govt House

Suspended Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his family members are reportedly being held hostage at the Government House, Port-Harcourt, by a contingent of heavily armed soldiers Tuesday night.

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 Fubara last week to settle scores in his fallout with Wike, who engineered Fubara’s election in 2023 despite corruption charges.

Rivers government sources said that soldiers carrying out the president’s instructions on declaring the state of emergency Barricaded all entrance and exit to the govt house immediately after the president speech Attempts by 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 said 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.

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 powers grounds to suspend an elected governor whom the state Lawmaker have not yet Impeached

Efforts to impeach Fubara began on Monday, barely 24 hours before 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