Human rights advocate from the Niger Delta, Ann-Kio Briggs, has accused the Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok Ete Ibas of presiding over violence in Rivers State, asserting that the retired military officer is not welcome in the State.
Ankio Briggs also accused Ibok Ete Ibas, of exacerbating the situation that President Bola Tinubu tasked him with resolving.
Briggs asserted that Ibas’s actions contradict the president’s directives.
According to Didactic Information Hut, Tinubu appointed Ibas, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff from July 2015 to January 2021, as the Administrator of the oil-rich state in March, following the president’s declaration of a state of emergency and the suspension of Governor Sim Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The president’s intention was to restore peace amid the political strife between Governor Fubara and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
During an appearance on the program ‘Politics Today’ on Channels Television on Monday, Ann-Kio Briggs claimed that Ibas is intensifying the conflict.
“Firstly, I can assure you that he is indeed pouring petrol on a fire that Mr. President believed was already burning. He was instructed to extinguish that fire, yet he has failed to do so. I have informed you that he has dismissed individuals who were constitutionally and democratically in power.
There were no issues prior to his arrival, and he has removed everyone. It is even reported that he has taken down the pictures of Siminalayi Fubara in the government house. I reiterate, Siminalayi Fubara remains the governor of Rivers State,” stated Ann-Kio Briggs.
Briggs noted that while the President indicated that the state of emergency would last for six months, he retains the authority to alter his decision and revert to the previous situation before the designated period concludes.
Earlier on Monday, two groups of women organized rallies in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State. One group expressed support for Ibas and the emergency rule, while the other, partially clothed, demanded the