Some social media reports have alleged that Sim Fubara, governor of Rivers, has shut down operations of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the state.
The report also alleged that Fubara directed his loyalists to destroy pipelines transporting crude oil to Lagos and Abuja.
The report can be seen here, here, and here.
Olufemi Soneye, NNPC chief corporate communications officer, debunked the information as false.
Soneye told TheCable on Thursday that the reports are deliberately fabricated to mislead the public and create unnecessary tension.
“We urge the public and media to disregard this fake news and verify information from credible sources before circulation,” he added.
Checks by TheCable found that previous versions of the claim circulated on the internet late last year.
The reports began circulating after a federal high court in Abuja ruled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was barred from disbursing further monthly allocations to the Rivers state government after Fubara presented the 2024 budget to a four-member house of assembly.
The social media posts claimed that Fubara responded by shutting down NNPC’s operations.
However, the reports were false.
In addition, no credible media platforms published reports asserting the claims.
