...Freedom of expression is not a crime

PRESS STATEMENT 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2026

Civil Society Coalition Demands Immediate and Unconditional Release of Rights Activist Daniel Ezekiel, Calls for Independent Investigation of His Allegations Against Niger Delta Powerbrokers

We, the undersigned coalition of civil society organisations, human rights groups and community advocates, condemn the arrest and detention of Niger Delta human rights defender Daniel Ezekiel. We demand his immediate and unconditional release. We also call for a prompt, independent and transparent investigation of the grave allegations he has made against powerful individuals and entities in the Niger Delta.

Background 

On Friday, September 18, 2026, Mr Ezekiel was reportedly taken from his home in Life Camp, Abuja, by men who did not identify themselves in a manner he could verify. He was subsequently held at the Agwa Cement Police Station, and current held at the Force CID Abuja. As of this statement, no charge has been publicly disclosed, and it is unclear under whose authority the arrest was carried out.

The arrest came about two weeks after a petition dated September 3, 2026, reportedly filed by lawyers for businessman Chief Ekomieyefa Uduboh with the Inspector-General of Police and the National Cybercrime Centre. 

The petition alleges that Mr Ezekiel and another person published defamatory Facebook posts in late August. The allegations in that petition are untested, and Mr Ezekiel is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

For months, Mr Ezekiel has publicly alleged that he witnessed unlawful detention, torture, forced labour and intimidation carried out by Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) and men linked to him and to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.

 Through petitions to national and international human rights organisations, security agencies and government bodies, he has further alleged that these individuals and companies operate private prisons in the Niger Delta, where torture, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and forced labour are rampant. 

He has backed these allegations with evidence, including photographs, audio and video recordings, and testimonies from victims and their families.These serious allegations of torture and forced labor require a formal investigation. In a functioning democracy, raising such concerns should prompt an inquiry, not the arrest of the individual who reported them

"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.

Our concerns

Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protect liberty and prohibit arbitrary arrest. A warrantless arrest by unidentified men, followed by an unexplained transfer between police locations, raises serious questions of legality.

Alleged defamation is ordinarily a civil matter. Using cybercrime provisions to prosecute critics and human rights defenders threatens freedom of expression, guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution and Article 19 of the ICCPR. The ECOWAS Court of Justice has previously found Nigeria's cyberstalking provision in violation of that freedom.

This Coalition believe that If the police can be used to settle private scores with human rights defenders, no citizen who exposes wrongdoing is safe.

Our demands

1. The Nigeria Police Force must release Mr Ezekiel immediately and unconditionally.

2. The Inspector-General of Police must publicly disclose the legal basis for the arrest, the identity of the officers involved, and the unit handling the petition.

3. Mr Ezekiel must have immediate access to his lawyers, family and any needed medical care, and his physical safety must be guaranteed.

4. The Federal Government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission, must ensure an independent and impartial investigation of the allegations of torture, unlawful detention and forced labour raised by Mr Ezekiel, with protection for witnesses and complainants.

5. All parties named in these matters should submit to lawful, transparent processes, and should not use the security agencies as instruments of intimidation.

We will monitor developments closely and are prepared to mobilise national and international mechanisms, including the UN and African human rights systems, if he is not freed and the allegations are not investigated.

Signed:

1. Take It Back Movement (TIB)

2. Sterling Law Centre

3. Lawyers Without Borders Nigeria

4. Law Hub Development and Advocacy Centre

5. Amnesty International Nigeria

6. Committee For The Defence Of Human Rights (CDHR)

7. Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO)

8. Social Justice Advocacy Initiative

9. Center For Social Justice

10. Nigeria Observatory For Human Rights

11. Revolutionary Socialist Movement

12. Social Action

13. United Action For Democracy

14. Legal Defence Against Injustice Initiative

15. Access to Justice

16. Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA)

17. International Human Rights and Equity Defense Foundation (I-REF), Anambra State

18. Social Intervention Advocacy Foundation (SIAF), Lagos

19. Network On Police Reform In Nigeria

20. Civic Media Lab

21. Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD)

22. Vision Spring Initiative

23. Human Rights Liberties Access And Peace Defenders Foundation (HURIDE)

24. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy – AFRICMIL

25. Centre for Environment, Human Rights, and Development (CEHRD)

26. Centre for Citizens Right

27. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation

28. Justice for Peace and Development Initiative, Lagos

29. Legal Resources Consortium, Lagos

30. Bauchi Human Rights Network

31. Edo Civil Society Organisations

32. Adopt A Goal For Development

33. Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution

34. The Art and Civic Table

35. Free Nigeria Coalition

36. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF)

37. Women's Right to Education Programme

38. Prison Inmate Development Initiative (PIDI)

39. Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)

40. International Press Centre (IPC)

41. Alliances for Africa

42. Vision Spring Initiatives

43. Campaign for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (CCHR)

44. Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)

45. Foundation for Livelihood Advancement

46. Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative

47. Crime Victims Foundation

48. The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS)

49. Enugu State Civil Society Coalition

50. Akwa Ibom Human Rights Coalition

51. Foundation for Civic Education, Human Rights and Development Advancement (FoCEHRaDA)

52. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF)

53. Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS)

54. International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative

55. Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD)

56. Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN)

57. Renaissance Groupl