Dar es Salaam, March 19 -- Nigerian President Bola Tinubu  declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended the state governor Siminalayi Fubara after an explosion of a section of the Trans-Niger Pipeline.

Though police have not yet stated an official reason behind the explosion on Tuesday, vandalism or sabotage by militant groups has not been ruled out.

The president said he received reports of “disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them.”

Oil spills are frequent in the region, where the high value of oil leads both militants and civilians to steal it for sale on the black market.

Tinubu crit...