Nigeria lifts state of emergency in Rivers State after six months

Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu lifted a sixth-month long emergency rule in the oil-rich Rivers State on Wednesday, as a governance and constitutional crisis had been resolved, according to the head of state.

Since 18th March, Nigeria's Rivers State, sitting in the Niger Delta in the south of the country, was in a state of emergency.

This came to an end on Wednesday, when Nigerian president Bola Tinubu lifted the exceptional situation and reinstated Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State.

Fubara reportedly returned to the Government House of the state on Thursday, according to social media posts, and the governing bodies resumed their duties.

Tinubu declared the state of emergency in March to prevent a "drift towards anarchy" in the State, which had been shaken by militant attacks on its important oil pipelines and a political crisis between state lawmakers and Fubara, which disrupted budget approvals and the functioning of the local government.

The president appointed retired navy Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas to govern Rivers State for the time of emergency rule.

With the political differences since resolved, a return to democratic governance was possible, according to Tinubu.