Numerous Facebook posts claim that the Nigerian government has arrested Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, for disobeying President Bola Tinubu.
These posts include a video showing police apparently using water cannons and tear gas to disperse a crowd in a street, with Fubara later addressing the same group in a building.
Fubara was elected governor in March 2023. Shortly after, the Rivers State House of Assembly began impeachment proceedings against him. Although these proceedings were later withdrawn, they led to a significant political crisis.
On March 18, 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Fubara, citing security concerns and political instability.
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More posts claiming the government has arrested Fubara can be found here, here and here.
No evidence to support this
A Google reverse image search of keyframes from the video showed that it first appeared online on October 30, 2023, with the caption: “These people should not set this country on fire! How can Nigerian Police be shooting water canon and teargas on a sitting Governor of a state. I salute Sim Fubara’s courage.”
An online search for “police fire tear gas at Fubara” confirmed the caption’s accuracy. The video was from a 2023 incident where Fubara and others went to the Rivers State House of Assembly after a fire broke out in the building.
Political events in Rivers State typically receive extensive media coverage. However, there are no reports of Fubara’s alleged arrest.
President Tinubu’s speech announcing Fubara’s suspension was published on the government’s official website.
A search of the website yielded no information about Fubara’s alleged arrest.
Therefore, there is no evidence to support the claim that the government arrested Fubara, and the video used as evidence is from a past event.
The false claim also appears here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Credit: Africa Check
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