The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has alleged that the suspended Governor of Rivers State,Siminalayi Fubara,tele-guided militants to blow up pipelines in the state.
He made the allegations in an attempt to justify the President’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, following the protracted political crisis in the state.
Fagbemi who met with the President at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, told State House Correspondents that Fubara became culpable when he put militants in the state on standbye pending impeachment threats on him.
According to him, the Governor deliberately did nothing to discourage the militants from taking destructive action on critical national infrastructure.
He said: “We are in a democracy. There were what I will call telegraphing of the militants, I will say, by the governor. And the reason I said so was when he began, he said oh, he will let them when it was time to act to the militant.
“Let us say it was wrong. Did he come out to disown them? The answer is no. And a week after, they swung into action, you see or witness vandalization of oil pipelines.”
According to him, for a nation that relies almost totally on oil, for anyone to touch the pipeline, he is not only an enemy of Rivers but Nigeria.
He also blamed the governor and the members of the state house of assembly for what he termed as unruly behaviours which culminated in a toxic atmosphere where governance in the state was jeopardized.
He faulted criticisms that the president’s action was hasty noting that people were living in fear while others were dying.
He justified that both the Governor and his deputy were suspended because it is an extraordinary situation.
