On June 11, 2026, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kogi State Command, arrested Mr Opeyemi Owoeye, the Editor of an online newspaper, Kogi Reports, following an alleged petition by Hon. Leke Abejide, representing Yagba Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, in which he directed the NSCDC operatives to arrest the editor.
Reports say Mr Owoeye was lured to a hotel by a personal assistant of Hon. Bejide before NSCDC operatives arrested him.
The petition and subsequent arrest were linked to a story published by Kogi Reports titled: The Architect of Discord: How Hon. Leke Abejide Triggered the Kogi West Senatorial Primary Crisis, which accused Hon. Abejide of using his influence with Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, to change the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Kogi West Senatorial primary.
The story claimed that Mr Abejide leveraged his personal proximity to Mr Gbajabiamila to “implement his divisive intentions.” According to the story, “Armed with alternative, highly disputed data, he allegedly launched a campaign of misinformation, going as far as trying to cast a cloud over the ability of Senator Jibril Echocho in Kogi East to win election.”
Mr Owoeye was refused bail by NSCDC officials, who told his associates that his release would only follow an express order from Hon. Abejide. However, the editor was later released the same day, late at night, after spending several hours in custody.
Meanwhile, the arrest drew swift condemnation from journalists, civil society groups, and media rights advocates from across Nigeria.
