News
Main Reason Tinubu Suspends Governor Fubara, House Of Assembly
Main Reason Tinubu Suspends Governor Fubara, House Of Assembly
Main reason Tinubu suspends Governor Fubara, House of Assembly. Text of the Broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, declaring State of Emergency in Rivers state on Tuesday 18 March 2025
Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
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 redound to the benefit of 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.
Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same.
I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis.
I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.
On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms:
“a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”
The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected
“are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”
The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.
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.
The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant 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.
With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.
In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
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.
Reps Approves Rivers Emergency Rule
In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.
For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.
The Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.
It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
Long live a united, peaceful, secure and democratic Rivers State in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.
Lagos Assembly Strongly Seeks Suspension Of Makoko Demolition
Lagos assembly strongly seeks suspension of Makoko demolition. The Lagos state house of assembly has called for the suspension of demolition activities in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro waterfront communities following protests by displaced residents and growing public concern over the exercise.
The call was announced on Tuesday by Noheem Adams, chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Lateef Jakande auditorium.
Adams called on all state ministries to cease demolition work and promised compensation to the affected residents.
“On behalf of the speaker and all 40 members of the house, we are directing that all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, and Shogunro communities should stop from today until further notice,” New Telegraph quoted Adams as saying.
He called for transparency by demanding the full list of taskforce members and the criteria used for engagement, insisting that residents must be actively involved in the process.
“That the taskforce that was constituted, we want to see the list of the taskforce because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So we want to have the schedule of those task forces and the criteria for those that we are inviting,” Adams added.
Lagos Assembly
“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those whose properties have been demolished.”
Stephen Ogundipe, member of the ad-hoc, said there is need for clear communication, adding that residents targeted for relocation or redevelopment must be informed of the government’s plans in advance.
Babatunde Olajide, special adviser to governor of Lagos on E-GIS and urban renewal, confirmed that $2 million had been earmarked since 2021 to transform Makoko into a modern, internationally compliant water city.
He said enumeration of affected properties is underway and reiterated the administration’s commitment to handling the situation with a human face, prioritizing resident safety and fair compensation.
Yusuf Sagra, baale of Makoko, described the assembly’s decision as a “word of peace,” while Orioye Ogungbure, another leader of the community, praised the “democratic responsiveness” of the government.
2026 GFP Report: Nigeria’s Navy Ranked Strongest In Africa, 22nd Globally
2026 GFP Report: Nigeria’s Navy ranked strongest in Africa, 22nd globally. The Nigerian naval fleet has been ranked the strongest in Africa, according to a 2026 Global Firepower (GFP) report.
The ranking is based on each country’s conventional war-fighting capability across land, sea, and air.
Nigeria shares maritime boundaries with the Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, and Sao Tome and Principe, all located in the Gulf of Guinea, along an estimated 853 km coastline.
The waters also cover Nigeria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 220 nautical miles offshore and contains resources such as oil and aquatic life.
However, piracy and disputes remain persistent challenges.
Patrol boats, numbering 132, make up the bulk of the country’s 152 naval assets. The fleet is also credited with two mine warfare ships and one frigate.
Mine warfare can be deployed to deny access to strategic waterways or support siege-type operations around harbours and ports, while frigates have deep-water capabilities and can support rotorcraft.
The patrol boats consist of offshore patrol vessels, gunboats, missile boats, and fast-attack craft, designed for shallow-water operations.
The GFP report noted that Nigeria lacks aircraft carriers, submarines, corvettes, and destroyers.
Globally, the country was ranked 22nd.
In overall military strength, Nigeria was ranked third in Africa, behind Egypt and Algeria, and 33rd of 145 countries considered in the annual GFP review.
Navy Arrests
EGYPT, ALGERIA BEHIND NIGERIA IN NAVAL STRENGTH
Egypt was ranked Africa’s strongest military, followed by Algeria.
However, in terms of naval strength, Egypt was ranked second in Africa with 149 vessels and 23rd globally.
Algeria came in third place on the continent with 111 vessels and was ranked 34th globally.
Morocco and South Africa, operating 100 and 63 vessels, respectively, ranked fourth and fifth in Africa.
Tunisia, with 37 vessels, came sixth. Mozambique was seventh with 36 vessels, and Angola ranked eighth with 32 vessels.
Kenya and Eritrea occupied the ninth and 10th positions in Africa with 27 and 23 units.
News
High Court Fixes April 30 For Ruling On Final Forfeiture Of Property Owned By Former Acting AGF
High Court Fixes April 30 For Ruling On Final Forfeiture Of Property Owned By Former Acting AGF
High Court fixes April 30 for ruling on final forfeiture of property owned by former acting AGF. Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja has fixed April 30, 2026 for ruling on the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for final forfeiture of a property owned by the former Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, defence counsel, N.I Quakers, SAN, informed the court of an application seeking the setting aside of the interim forfeiture order which the court granted on January 27, 2025, and another a notice of preliminary objection, dated August 15, 2025 bordering on the jurisdiction of the court.
He prayed the court to discountenance the prosecution’s final forfeiture application on the ground that the said property is also part of the reason for which he is facing criminal trial in another court. He questioned the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter and prayed the court to set aside EFCC’s application.
In response, prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, made reference to a motion dated May 6, 2024, and filed on the same date, that sought the final forfeiture order. He stated that the said property was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of crimes. The application, the prosecution noted, is supported by an eight paragraph affidavit, written by Chinyelu Vivian Okpara, an operative of EFCC with attachments marked Exhibit EFCC 1 to EFCC 7. Relying on all the paragraphs in the affidavit, the prosecuting counsel urged the court to grant the application for the final forfeiture of the property.
Explaining further, the prosecution counsel said, “My lord, the respondent at the material time of these transactions was the Director of Finance in the Ministry of Defence. Funds were released strictly for military operations in fighting Boko haram, of which part of it was sent to the Ministry of Defence. Part of the funds were diverted using fictitious accounts up to the tune of N900 million.”
“My lord, from that funds, about N355 million went to the respondent and it was sent through an account he nominated, belonging to his friend, M Davies Enterprises Ltd and it was from that account that the property in question was purchased and it is that property the defendant is currently living in.
Federal High Court
It was in the course of the investigation that the defendant on his own handed over the keys of the house to be forfeited, as well as refunded some of the funds. Surprisingly, when this proceedings commenced, he turned around to challenge the forfeiture of the property. We urge the court to grant the application,” he said.
Further in his argument, the prosecution counsel stated that, “We also filed another affidavit on May 16, 2024. Again, we urge your lordship to grant this application,” he said. Justice Umar adjourned the matter till April 30, 2026 for ruling on the applications and judgment.
The anti-graft agency is also prosecuting Nwabuoku on amended nine-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N868, 465,000 (Eight Hundred and Sixty-eight Million, Four Hundred and Sixty-five Thousand Naira) before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
February 3, 2026
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