By Ginakachi Ejiogu
Niger Delta rights activist Ann-Kio Briggs has lashed out at Rivers State Administrator, Rear Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd), accusing him of escalating the crisis he was deployed to resolve. According to Briggs, Ibas—barely weeks into his appointment—is removing elected officials, installing loyalists, and acting more like a political hitman than a neutral peacemaker.
President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a six-month emergency rule in Rivers State in March 2025, which suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, was allegedly based on flawed intelligence. “There was no crisis. There is still no crisis. The president was misinformed,” Briggs said during a media chat on April 13.
Briggs accused Ibas of taking provocative actions that undermine governance, including reports of dismantling Governor Fubara’s official portraits in the Government House. “This is someone barely two weeks into office, and he’s acting like a man on a mission—not to fix, but to finish,” she stated.
Rejecting any attempt to ethnicize the political conflict, she noted that Rivers people had previously accepted governors from the same ethnic group back-to-back without protest. “This has never been about ethnicity. It’s about power and control. Rivers people know the difference,” she emphasized.
Briggs disclosed that the Rivers Elders Council made early moves to intervene before the matter spiraled. Letters were sent to both Wike and Fubara urging dialogue, but those efforts were reportedly ignored. “This crisis was preventable, but someone wanted it to blow,” she added.
Addressing the conflicting protests in the state capital, she claimed that the women in white who demonstrated in support of Ibas included wives of Wike’s allies, former commissioners, and Abuja appointees. In contrast, the women in black, who have been praying since October 2023, represent the true grassroots outcry for justice and continuity.
Briggs stood her ground, declaring, “Governor Fubara remains the legitimate leader of Rivers State unless he is physically removed. The people deserve the truth—how this problem started, who’s fueling it, and what the endgame is.”
