Tension has gripped Rivers State after a short video surfaced online showing some security personnel attached to the Government House protesting against the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd).
In the footage, the aggrieved officers listed grievances behind their action, though details remain sketchy. Their protest comes just days before the scheduled reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly on September 18.
Fubara and other elected officials were suspended on March 18 following a deepening political crisis in Rivers, which prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency. Vice Admiral Ibas was appointed Sole Administrator to oversee governance during the period.
The timing of the protest has drawn sharp reactions on social media. Many Nigerians faulted the security personnel for staging such a demonstration at the twilight of the emergency rule, accusing them of attempting to undermine the return of constitutional order.
As Rivers braces for Fubara’s resumption, the protest adds a fresh twist to the state’s fragile political landscape.
