Outrage mounts over arrest, detention of journalist in Delta

Asaba, Delta – In a move that has ignited a firestorm of condemnation across Nigeria's media and human rights landscape, prominent investigative journalist and anti-corruption activist Fejiro Oliver remains incommunicado detention in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, five days after his dramatic arrest in Abuja.

The 42-year-old whistleblower, known for his unflinching exposés on government malfeasance, was allegedly snatched by police operatives on direct orders from Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, in what critics are calling a brazen retaliation for highlighting the state's crumbling healthcare infrastructure.

Daily South Nigeria understands that the ordeal began on Thursday, September 18, when plainclothes officers from the Nigerian Police Force's elite Force Intelligence Department (FID) stormed Oliver's office in Abuja's bustling Garki district. Witnesses described a scene straight out of a thriller: no warrant presented, no explanation given, just a swift cuffing and bundling into an unmarked vehicle.

By evening, Oliver – chairman of the Network Against Corruption and Anti-Drug Trafficking (NACAT) and a co-founder of the whistleblower platform SecretsReporters – was herded onto a private jet at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and flown to Asaba.

As of today, Oliver is reportedly languishing in a dingy cell at the Delta State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), surrounded by suspects in unrelated kidnapping and robbery cases, with zero access to his family, lawyer, or even basic medical care.

No formal charges have been filed, though whispers of "cyberstalking" under Nigeria's Cybercrimes Act – a favorite tool for muzzling critics – are circulating.

Petitions demanding his whereabouts and rights under Sections 34–36 of the 1999 Constitution have flooded the desk of Delta Police Commissioner Abaniwonda Olufemi, invoking violations of dignity, liberty, and fair hearing.

Oliver's arrest traces directly to a bombshell report published just days earlier on September 11 via SecretsReporters. Titled something akin to "Delta's Healthcare Horror: Oleh General Hospital – A Monument to Neglect," the piece painted a harrowing picture of the Isoko South Local Government Area's main hospital: roofs caving in, a single overworked doctor serving thousands, no functional X-ray machines, and patients dying from treatable ailments amid rusting beds and leaking ceilings.

Oliver's footage and interviews laid bare what he called "governance by abandonment" under Oborevwori's "More Agenda" – a supposed blueprint for progress in Nigeria's oil-rich south.

"This isn't journalism; it's a public service alarm," Oliver had tweeted before his arrest, tagging the governor and health ministry. "Delta's people deserve better than death traps funded by oil billions."

Sources close to the matter say the report struck a nerve, especially after Oliver's history of grilling Oborevwori on issues like police brutality and infrastructure rot.

Not everyone is waving placards. On September 22, pro-government group Delta Fresh Vision struck back, hailing the arrest as a "long-overdue sanitization" of Nigeria's "polluted" online media space.

In a statement dripping with accusation, Acting Chairman Wilberforce Arinze labeled Oliver a "serial blackmailer" and "cyberstalker" who's spent two decades peddling "unverified allegations" against Delta officials for extortion.

Citing the Cybercrimes Act, they urged full prosecution to deter "propaganda disguised as reporting."

The group painted Oliver as a non-entity whose hits on past and present governors have "misled the public" and eroded trust in digital journalism.Governor Oborevwori's office has maintained radio silence, neither confirming nor denying involvement – a tactic that's only fueled the fury.

But in a state where oil wealth should translate to world-class services, the optics are damning: Arrest the critic, ignore the collapse.

Oliver's saga is not isolated. Nigeria ranks 112th on the World Press Freedom Index, with at least 10 journalists harassed or detained in 2025 alone amid a crackdown on "fake news" and 2025 alone amid a crackdown on "fake news" and dissent.

Rights groups warn this could be the "litmus test" for the rule of law under President Bola Tinubu's administration – will the federation intervene, or let states play prosecutor?

In the cells of SCID, one man's fight for truth echoes louder than ever: How long can a democracy afford to jail its watchdogs?