Citizen Opeyemi Owoeye, the publisher of a community based newspaper Kogi Reports, has been released on bail after staying several hours behind bars at the Kogi State headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. He was released in the odd hour of about 10pm.
A member of the House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Hon. Leke Abejide had ordered and directed the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to arrest the journalist.
Owoeye was deceived and lured into the hands of operatives in the early hours of Thursday, June 11, 2026. following the publication of a story accusing Abejide of trying to use the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to influence the outcome of the APC Kogi West senatorial primary.
The detention followed direct instruction from the lawmaker to NSCDC officials. As of this publication, the NSCDC has not provided a public explanation for the arrest or identified the legal basis for detaining the journalist over a news report.
The lawmaker is not strange to the allegation of using state force to intimidate and harass people. He had last year done a similar thing to his political associate, Jesse Abayomi from Mopamuro, whom he arrested and detained for days for asking him to respect the lical rotational arrangements in the constituency.
Leke has been said to be banking on his relationship with the presidency to harrass his constituents.
Unfortunately, the publisher’s father, before his death, was described as a staunch supporter of the lawmaker. Family members have, therefore, frowned at the new turn of events and the lawmaker’s disposition.
Opeyemi was temporarily left off the hook on condition that he will report in the NSCDC office on Monday morning.
