The Federal Government has deployed 10,000 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to safeguard oil pipelines and other critical infrastructure in Rivers State. This decision follows a series of explosions at oil installations between Sunday and Tuesday, raising concerns over security threats in the region.
NSCDC spokesperson, Afolabi Babawale, confirmed the deployment on Wednesday, stating that the security operatives were assigned to prevent further acts of vandalism, particularly in the Niger Delta.
“The NSCDC hereby warns against destruction and vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure across the Niger Delta as over 10,000 operatives have been deployed to collaborate with other security agencies to provide adequate peace and security of lives and property,” Babawale said.
Meanwhile, the decision to impose emergency rule in Rivers State has sparked protests from opposition lawmakers and labor unions. President Bola Tinubu, in a national broadcast on Tuesday, announced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and the state assembly members. In their place, he appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (retd.) as the state’s sole administrator for an initial six-month period.
The political climate in Rivers State had been tense even before the declaration of emergency rule. Within two days, three explosions occurred, further escalating concerns. The blasts came after threats from Ijaw groups, who opposed moves to impeach Governor Fubara. They warned that any attempt to remove him would lead to disruptions in oil production, which could severely impact the economy.
On Monday, the state assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule and aligned with former governor Nyesom Wike, accused Fubara of 19 infractions and issued a misconduct notice, setting the stage for his impeachment. Shortly before this, an explosion was reported at the Trans Niger Pipeline in Aluu, located in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Security forces investigating the incident recovered a corpse at the explosion site on Wednesday and arrested a suspect linked to the blast. A staff member of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), who identified himself as Ebikeme, confirmed the arrest.
“On Sunday, the 16th day of March 2025, there was a blast on the TNP Pipeline Right of Way in Aluu – Zone 5 and a suspected vandal was found dead at the site of the incident from the effects of the blast.
“Upon further investigation, a suspected vandal was apprehended in connection with the incident. The suspect is currently in the custody of the Nigeria Police while further investigation is being carried out to nab all the perpetrators,” Ebikeme said.
Speaking on the deployment of security operatives, Babawale noted that all NSCDC commands across the country were on high alert to protect national assets, particularly in the Niger Delta.
“The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has a statutory mandate as the lead agency in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.
“In this regard, the corps across the federation have placed the commands and formations on red alert to forestall all acts of economic sabotage, pipeline vandalism, and destruction of government utilities.
“However, it is a notable fact that no security agency has the monopoly of strategies in tackling crime and criminalities, hence the NSCDC is working in collaboration with other sister security agencies in the protection of lives and property,” Babawale said.
