The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the Nigerian Presidency to provide credible evidence regarding the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara’s alleged links to militant attacks on pipelines in the Niger Delta, rather than just “intelligence.”
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator of HURIWA, disclosed the group’s position in a statement on March 24, 2025, in response to a reactionary piece published on Sunday by the President’s aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, titled “Imagine Rivers State Without a State of Emergency.”
Nairametrics previously reported that Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, stated that prior to the state of emergency rule in Rivers State, intelligence had shown that militants were already targeting pipelines, risking a collapse in output across parts of the nation.
He also stated that the militants were awaiting signals from Fubara.
President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, which resulted in the six-month suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the elected members of the State House of Assembly.
In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu revealed that his personal efforts to mediate the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State were ignored by the warring factions.
Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, faulting the governor for not taking any action to curtail the militants.
HURIWA’s Reaction
In response to Onanuga’s statement, HURIWA criticized the federal official’s reliance on “intelligence” without presenting verifiable proof to back such significant claims on Fubara’s alleged militant ties.
“These are serious allegations that can destabilize not only Rivers State but the entire Niger Delta. Yet, no concrete evidence has been made public to substantiate them,” Emmanuel Onwubiko stated.
- HURIWA maintained that if the federal authorities possessed “genuine evidence,” they would have publicly presented it to Nigerians, instead of resorting to what he termed “speculative intelligence.”
- He stated that HURIWA is awaiting the presidency’s provision of proof showing Fubara’s militant ties.
- Otherwise, the human rights group said it will continue to view the statement from the presidency as a dangerous precedent.
“As far as we are concerned, the dissemination of these unproven claims is not just unprofessional but a dangerous precedent in the democratic space,” the group emphasized, he added.
- The rights group called on security agencies to conduct a broad-based, transparent, and credible forensic investigation into the recent allegations and incidents of pipeline attacks in Ogoniland and other parts of Rivers State.
The group warned that labeling peaceful citizens as militants without evidence is not only reckless but risks plunging Rivers State into avoidable chaos.
Reactions and Expectations
The declaration of a state of emergency has elicited mixed reactions from stakeholders.
While some have welcomed the move as a necessary step to restore peace, others have expressed concerns about the potential for abuse of power and the suspension of democratic norms.
- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party Presidential candidate in the last election Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna governor, rejected the state of emergency declared by President Tinubu in Rivers State.
- Atiku, Obi, and other opposition leaders, who gathered in Abuja on Thursday, also called on the National Assembly to reject it.
- Regarding the attack on pipelines, Fubara’s aide had described the allegations as untrue.
The aide stated that the governor cannot be preaching peace and non-violence, even in the face of extreme provocations, and simultaneously be telegraphing attacks on oil pipelines.
