Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his family were reportedly held hostage at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday night by heavily armed soldiers, according to reports.
This happened after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State under Section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution. Tinubu said the decision was due to the growing political crisis in the state, caused by lawmakers supporting former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is now the FCT Minister. These lawmakers recently started impeachment proceedings against Fubara, allegedly as part of Wike’s plan to settle political disputes after helping Fubara win the 2023 election despite corruption accusations.
Sources said that after Tinubu’s announcement, soldiers enforcing the state of emergency blocked all entrances and exits to the Government House, stopping anyone from entering or leaving.
When Fubara and his family tried to leave or gather their belongings, the soldiers reportedly refused, saying they had no orders to let anyone go.
“We are being held hostage,” an official inside the Government House told The Gazette on Tuesday night. “They said they don’t have instructions to let anyone leave the premises.”
It is still unclear whether the soldiers were following strict orders or going beyond their authority. Attempts to get comments from the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters about the situation were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
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