Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his family were held hostage on Tuesday night by heavily armed soldiers at the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt. The soldiers, acting shortly after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, blocked all movement in and out of the premises, preventing the governor and his family from leaving or moving their belongings.
Sources within the Government House said the soldiers sealed off all entrances and exits immediately following the president’s national address, which cited escalating political tensions in the state as the reason for the emergency declaration.
“They said they don’t have instruction to let anyone leave the premises,” one official at the scene said. “We are being held hostage.”
The state of emergency follows an ongoing political crisis involving pro-Wike lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly, who began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara earlier this week. The conflict stems from a fallout between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who backed his 2023 election despite facing corruption allegations.
The president’s decision to suspend all elected officials in Rivers for six months has triggered intense public debate, with critics questioning the constitutionality of removing a sitting governor who has not yet been impeached. Legal experts including Inibehe Effiong and Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana have accused President Tinubu of violating the Constitution by taking unilateral action against an elected state leader.
It remains unclear whether the soldiers stationed at the Government House are acting strictly under orders or exceeding the scope of their directive. The Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters have not issued any official comment on the situation.
In the interim, President Tinubu has named retired Chief of Naval Staff Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as the military administrator of Rivers State.
