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Tinubu erred by removing Fubara, dep – Lawyers
Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and Abeny Mohammed on Tuesday faulted the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The SANs described the declaration of emergency state as well as the removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Following the political crisis in Rivers State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspended Fubara, Odu and members of the state House of Assembly for a period of six months.
In a nationwide broadcast, the president nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state.
Rivers State has been embroiled in a crisis since last year when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and the governor fell out with each other.
The situation led to the alleged defection of 27 members of the state assembly loyal to Wike. The lawmakers subsequently lost their seats but were later reinstated by the Supreme Court.
Before declaring the state of emergency, Tinubu had, earlier yesterday, met with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas as well as National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, service chiefs and heads of other security agencies at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But a ranking senator said yesterday that the president meeting the leadership of the national assembly was not enough as there was the need for the input of other members
“Why the rush? Why putting a retired soldier to take over? It is wrong to encourage military incursion in politics in whatever guise.
What the president did amounts to error of judgement and it will escalate tension in the Niger Delta. It is illegal,” he said.
Lawyers speak
Adegboruwa (SAN) called on the president to rescind his decision to remove the elected government officials in Rivers State and allow democratic process to be applied in dealing with issues.
“The action of Mr President is premeditated and showed that he is biased,” Adegboruwa alleged.
“I don’t support the actions of the governor or the FCT minister, but the declaration has upended the democratic will of the people of Rivers State.“ The action of the president is unwarranted, undemocratic and uncalled for.”
Adegboruwa also questioned why Osun and Benue states, with issues of local government dispute and Lagos State where two speakers of the state assembly emerged in one day had not been met with a state of emergency.
Similarly, Abeny Mohammed said the action taken by the president was extreme and unconstitutional.
He stated: “The Rivers State governor was elected into office by the people in accordance with the constitution and can only be removed in accordance with the constitution.”
However, Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), said the matter was beyond legal analysis as the crisis in Rivers State was an “upshot of a political crisis.”
It’s political manipulation – Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday described the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State as political manipulation.
He accused the president of being a partisan actor in the crisis, saying “Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers.
“His blatant refusal — or calculated negligence — in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful,” Atiku said.
The presidential candidate of the PDP in the last election in a post on his verified Facebook page said, “Beyond the political scheming in Rivers, the brazen security breaches that led to the condemnable destruction of national infrastructure in the state land squarely on the president’s desk.
“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent.
“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability — undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’adua.
Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.
“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the president bears full responsibility.
Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and Tinubu’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Why I declared state of emergency in Rivers – Tinubu
In his broadcast, the president said he was disturbed at the turn of events in the political crisis in the state.
He said, “With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years can thrive in a way that will benefit the good people of the state.
“The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.
”The president added, “Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now not disowned them.
“Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.
Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.
“Latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalisation of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them.
I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.”
The president said based on the situation, he was invoking the provisions of Section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) “to declare a state of emergency on the state and that it takes effect from Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to South Africa for the G20 Leaders’ Summit as he awaits further security briefings from Vice President Kashim Shettima on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
Tinubu also ordered the deployment of more security personnel “to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers,” a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed on Wednesday.
The directive was “in response to the request by the governor of Kwara State,” Onanuga stated.
Officials close to the President had told our correspondent that Tinubu intends to receive first-hand reports on the situation in Kebbi, including the outcome of meetings with local leaders, before embarking on his trip.
Tinubu was scheduled to leave Abuja today to attend the 20th G20 Summit of leaders in South Africa and thereafter proceed to Luanda to attend the 7th AU-EU Summit.
“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.“
He now awaits reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi on his behalf, as well as reports from the police and the Department of State Services regarding the attack in Kwara,” Onanuga explained.
The President reiterated his directive to the security agencies to “do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls, abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe.
”On Tuesday night, Tinubu had directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State on Wednesday over the abduction of 25 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, and the killing of the school’s Vice-Principal.
The President, who had been briefed by the military authorities “expressed sadness over the abduction of the schoolgirls, despite intelligence warnings of a possible strike by the bandits.
The Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State was thrown into panic in the early hours of Monday after armed bandits attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area and killed the Vice Principal and abducted at least 25 students.
While assuring the guardians of the kidnapped schoolgirls that the government will ensure their quick release, Tinubu also commiserated with the military over the death of the gallant soldiers and Brigadier General Musa Uba, who paid the ultimate price while on active duty fighting insurgents in Borno state.
News
President Tinubu Postpones Trip to G20 Summit Because of Country’s Insecurity
Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
In response to the request by the governor of Kwara State, President Tinubu has ordered the deployment of more security men to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers.
President Tinubu was scheduled to leave Abuja today to attend the 20th G20 Summit of leaders in South Africa and thereafter proceed to Luanda to attend the 7th AU-EU Summit.
Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure.
He now awaits reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid a sympathy visit to Kebbi on his behalf, as well as reports from the police and the Department of State Services regarding the attack in Kwara.
President Tinubu reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls, abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe.
Bayo OnanugaSpecial Adviser to the President(Information and Strategy)November 19, 2025
News
Court Shifts Trial of Ansaru Terrorist Suspects to January 2026
The trial, initially scheduled to begin on Wednesday, was adjourned by Justice Emeka Nwite following pleas by defense counsel for additional time to be served with the charges and to study the proof of evidence.
• Federal High Court Abuja
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ruled that the trial of two leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, captured by the Department of State Services (DSS), will commence on January 15, 2026.
The trial, initially scheduled to begin on Wednesday, was adjourned by Justice Emeka Nwite following pleas by defense counsel for additional time to be served with the charges and to study the proof of evidence.
During today’s proceedings, defense lawyer Bala Bakum informed the court that the charge and proof of evidence remained with the DSS, where the suspects are being detained on court orders.
He requested that the defendants be moved to a correctional facility to enable easier access and ensure a smooth trial.
However, DSS counsel David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, opposed the application, insisting that the trial proceed as scheduled since witnesses were already present in court.
Kaswe argued that DSS protocol requires defense counsel to formally request permission to visit clients and copy the prosecutor, a procedure he said had not been followed.In his ruling, Justice Nwite emphasized the need for fair hearing and adjourned the trial to January 15, 2026.
He directed the defense lawyer to comply with DSS protocol by formally writing for permission to visit the defendants and copying the prosecution.
Usman and Abba are being prosecuted on terrorism charges.
Usman has pleaded guilty to Count 10 of a 32‑count charge relating to economic crimes, while denying the remaining 31 counts. Abba pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On September 11, Usman was sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting to have engagied in illegal mining and using the proceeds to acquire arms for terrorism and kidnapping activities.
The defendants are accused of bombing the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State, receiving weapons training, fabricating improvised explosive devices, and engaging in terrorism financing.
The DSS further alleged that the suspects kidnapped a Customs officer and an Immigration officer—who was later killed in custody—collected millions of naira in ransom payments, and engaged in unlawful mineral mining without a valid license.
Proceeds from these activities were allegedly used to procure arms and ammunition, including IEDs.
Investigators also claim the defendants received training in Sudan and Mali, facilitated similar training for followers, and concealed information on planned terror attacks in Niger State.
Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, has been linked to several high‑profile attacks and kidnappings across Nigeria.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his alleged deputy Abubakar Abba, popularly called Mahmud Al‑Nigeri or Isah Adam/Mallam Mamuda, were captured between May and July 2025 in intelligence‑led operations.
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