The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has raised alarm over what it calls an orchestrated attempt to loot Rivers State under a military-style administration. The group fiercely condemned the recent suspension of political appointees, commissioners, and statutory board members by the state’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, describing it as a blatant abuse of power.
In a statement signed by IYC Secretary-General Maobuye Nangi Obu, the council decried the move as a calculated plot to dismantle democratic checks and balances while handing unchecked control of state resources to a select few.
The group directly accused former Governor Nyesom Wike of pulling the strings behind the scenes, using the Administrator as a puppet to maintain his grip on the state’s wealth.
“This is no longer governance—it’s a hijack. The Administrator is executing Wike’s script, crippling the state’s leadership to allow unrestricted looting,” the statement read.
The IYC warned that sidelining key officials—including the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff, Commissioners, and Special Advisers—could destabilize the state and fuel political unrest.
“This reckless power grab is not about governance but about silencing opposition and emptying the state’s coffers,” the council stated.
The group called on Rivers people to resist what it described as an attack on democracy and demanded:
- Immediate reversal of the mass suspensions.
- Restoration of democratic governance.
- An end to external political interference in the state’s affairs.
“Rivers State belongs to its people, not to political overlords seeking to drain it dry. Democracy must be defended, and the people must not be silenced,” the IYC declared.
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