Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his family were reportedly held hostage on Tuesday night at the Government House in Port Harcourt by heavily armed soldiers.
The development followed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State under Section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Tinubu justified the move by citing the escalating political crisis in the state, fueled by lawmakers loyal to former Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
These lawmakers recently initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara, reportedly as part of Wike’s efforts to settle political scores after facilitating Fubara’s election in 2023 despite corruption allegations.
Government sources revealed that shortly after Tinubu’s announcement, soldiers enforcing the state of emergency sealed off all entrances and exits to the Government House, preventing movement in and out of the premises.
Attempts by Fubara and his family to leave or pack their belongings were blocked by the soldiers, who reportedly insisted they had no orders to allow anyone to exit.
An official inside the Government said, “We are being held hostage.
“They said they don’t have instructions to let anyone leave the premises.”
It remains unclear whether the soldiers were acting strictly on orders or exceeding their mandate. Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters on the situation were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
