LAGOS, September 21, 2026 — A coalition of civil society organisations, human rights groups and community advocates has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Niger Delta rights activist Daniel Ezekiel, while calling for an independent investigation into serious allegations he reportedly made against powerful individuals and entities operating in the region.
The coalition, in a statement issued on Monday, said Ezekiel was allegedly taken from his residence in Life Camp, Abuja, on Friday, September 18, by men whose identities and authority he could not verify.
According to the coalition, Ezekiel was subsequently held at the Agwa Cement Police Station before being transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (Force CID) in Abuja.
It said no charge had been publicly disclosed as of the date of the statement and called on the Nigeria Police Force to clarify the legal basis for the arrest.
The coalition linked the arrest to a petition dated September 3, 2026, reportedly submitted by lawyers representing businessman Chief Ekomieyefa Uduboh to the Inspector-General of Police and the National Cybercrime Centre.
The petition reportedly accused Ezekiel and another individual of publishing defamatory posts on Facebook in late August. The coalition stressed that the allegations contained in the petition remain untested and that Ezekiel is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
However, the groups said the arrest had raised broader concerns because Ezekiel had, for several months, publicly alleged that he witnessed unlawful detention, torture, forced labour and intimidation involving Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and individuals he alleged were linked to him and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
The coalition said Ezekiel had submitted petitions to security agencies, government institutions and national and international human rights organisations, alleging the existence of facilities in the Niger Delta where, according to his claims, torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and forced labour occurred.
It said Ezekiel had reportedly supported his allegations with photographs, audio and video recordings, as well as testimonies from alleged victims and their families.
The coalition stressed that the allegations had not been established by a competent investigative authority and therefore called for an impartial investigation rather than allowing the matter to remain unresolved.
“When a whistleblower is detained before the allegations he raised are examined, the public is left to ask whose interests the system is protecting,” said Juwon Sanwolu, Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement (TIB), speaking on behalf of the coalition.
Rights and Due Process Concerns
The coalition cited Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as legal protections against arbitrary detention.
It argued that the reported circumstances surrounding Ezekiel's arrest, including the alleged involvement of unidentified men and his subsequent transfers between police facilities, required clarification.
The groups also raised concerns about the use of cybercrime laws in cases involving allegations of defamation and criticism, arguing that such prosecutions could have implications for freedom of expression.
They cited Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 19 of the ICCPR, while referring to previous decisions of the ECOWAS Court of Justice concerning Nigeria's cyberstalking provisions.
The coalition said the police and other security agencies should not become instruments for resolving private disputes or intimidating human rights defenders.
Five Demands
The organisations demanded that the Nigeria Police Force immediately release Ezekiel and publicly disclose the legal basis for his arrest.
They also called on the Inspector-General of Police to identify the officers involved and disclose the police unit handling the petition against him.
In addition, the coalition demanded immediate access to lawyers and family members for Ezekiel, appropriate medical attention where necessary, and guarantees for his physical safety.
It further called on the Federal Government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission, to facilitate an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture, unlawful detention and forced labour reportedly raised by Ezekiel.
The coalition also urged all parties involved in the dispute to submit to lawful and transparent investigative processes.
It said it would continue to monitor the matter and could petition or activate relevant international mechanisms, including United Nations and African human rights institutions, if Ezekiel remained detained and the allegations were not investigated.
The statement was endorsed by 57 civil society, human rights, legal, development and community organisations, including Take It Back Movement, Sterling Law Centre, Lawyers Without Borders Nigeria, Amnesty International Nigeria, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), United Action for Democracy (UAD), Access to Justice, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Network on Police Reform in Nigeria and several other organisations.
The allegations against the individuals and organisations named by Ezekiel remain subject to investigation and due process.
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