IN SHORT: Some social media posts claim that the governor of Rivers state in Nigeria has raised the alarm over missing bags of rice, just days after his reinstatement. But we found no evidence that he made such remarks.
On 17 September 2025, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu announced the end of a six-month state of emergency in Rivers state.
He also reinstated governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all members of the Rivers state house assembly.
Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers in March, citing security concerns and political instability.
In this context, several Facebook posts claimed that when Fubara returned to office, he raised the alarm over missing bags of rice at the governor’s house.
The posts quoted Fubara as saying: “Over 500 bags of rice are missing from Rivers State Government House Store.”
The same claim also appeared here and here.
But is there any truth to it? We checked.
No evidence Fubara made this statement
On 19 September, Fubara addressed the residents of Rivers. He expressed gratitude to the president and other relevant parties for their role in resolving the political crisis in the state.
In his speech, he made no mention of any missing bags of rice in the governor’s residence.
No credible media outlet in Nigeria has published any report on this claim.
We found no evidence that Fubara raised the alarm over missing bags of rice.
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