A man popularly known as Mr Soft has broken his silence over what he describes as his abduction and unlawful detention in the Niger Delta, saying that personal belongings worth millions of naira allegedly remain in the possession of the people who detained him.

In a statement contained in a video, Mr Soft said the incident happened on March 26, 2026, when he was allegedly taken against his will and held in what he described as an “illegal prison” in a riverine area.

According to him, he has deliberately remained silent for months in the hope that the matter would be resolved privately. He said, however, that the continued failure to return his property has left him facing a debt of about ₦22 million.

“My items are still with them, worth millions,” Mr Soft said, explaining that the situation had contributed to his accumulating debt.

He said he had now decided to speak publicly because, in his words, his silence was being mistaken for weakness.

Mr Soft gives October 2 deadline

Mr Soft has given the people he says are holding his property until October 2, 2026, to return the items.

He warned that if the property is not returned by then, he intends to publish what he says are records of his conversations and other evidence concerning the incident.

“I will be forced to come online and say everything with the evidence I have,” he said.

The statement marks a significant change from his previous decision to remain quiet about the alleged incident.

Mr Soft said he wants the matter resolved without further escalation and made a direct appeal for the return of his belongings.

Earlier report by Jude Gbaboyor mentioned Mr Soft

Mr Soft's account is also significant because it follows an earlier public allegation by Engr. Jude Gbaboyor, who has been publishing claims concerning alleged unlawful detention facilities in the Niger Delta.

In a April 13, 2026 publication attributed to Gbaboyor, he alleged that an Ijaw man popularly known as Mr Soft had been invited to Oporoza and was subsequently held for what Gbaboyor described as nine days in a private detention facility. Gbaboyor placed the allegation within a wider series of claims involving alleged abductions and detention in the area. 

That account is relevant to Mr Soft's latest statement because it independently places his name in the public controversy surrounding alleged detention facilities in Oporoza months before he himself publicly discussed the matter.

However, the available public reporting does not independently establish who detained Mr Soft, who operated the alleged facility, or who was responsible for his property.

Gbaboyor's wider reports have repeatedly linked allegations of unlawful detention in Oporoza to Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and people he describes as associates or members of Tompolo's security network.

Gbaboyor has also specifically named Chief Ekomieyefa Uduboh, popularly known as KFT, in his allegations concerning alleged detention and mistreatment of people in the Niger Delta. 

Those claims remain allegations. Publicly available evidence reviewed for this report does not establish that Tompolo or KFT ordered, authorised or personally participated in Mr Soft's alleged detention.

There is, however, evidence that KFT in the same wider dispute. Lawyers representing Ekomieyefa Uduboh reportedly petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre on September 3, 2026, over social-media publications concerning their client. 

The petition reportedly accused Daniel Ezekiel and another individual of publishing allegedly defamatory material about KFT. 

Daniel was subsequently arrested in Abuja on September 18. His supporters have alleged that his arrest was connected to his previous accusations against Tompolo and his associates, while reports on the matter have stressed that those accusations have not been established in court. 

A wider dispute over alleged private detention facilities

The controversy has now grown beyond Mr Soft's individual complaint.

Gbaboyor has alleged that several people were taken to an alleged private detention facility in Oporoza. He has previously named people including Charles Korubo and Balamene Karowei in connection with those claims. He has also alleged that Mr Soft was among people allegedly detained in the area. 

Separately, Daniel Ezekiel has made similar public allegations concerning unlawful detention and alleged abuse involving Tompolo and individuals he associates with Tompolo. Recent reporting has emphasised that these claims remain unproven and require independent investigation. 

The allegations have been disputed, and there is currently no court finding establishing that Tompolo operates a private prison or that KFT participated in the alleged detention of Mr Soft.

Mr Soft's latest statement does not publicly name the people he says detained him or identify the individuals currently holding his property.

Instead, he says he has chosen to give them one final opportunity to return his belongings.

His account suggests that the dispute is not only about the alleged loss of his freedom but also about the financial consequences that followed.

He says the value of the property still being held has left him carrying approximately ₦22 million in debt, and he wants the items returned before he makes further disclosures.

His warning is clear: if the property is not returned by October 2, he says he will release what he describes as evidence, including conversations connected to the incident.

Questions that remain unanswered

Several important questions remain unresolved:

Who allegedly took Mr Soft on March 26?

Where exactly was he detained?

Who controlled the facility where he says he was held?

What property was allegedly taken or retained?

What is the actual value of the property?

Who currently has possession of it?

What evidence does Mr Soft say he possesses?

Is there any police report, court filing or other official record concerning the alleged detention?

What, if any, connection exists between the incident described by Mr Soft and the allegations previously published by Jude Gbaboyor concerning Oporoza?

And, most importantly, is there evidence connecting Tompolo or Ekomieyefa Uduboh (KFT) to Mr Soft's alleged detention?

At present, the last question cannot responsibly be answered as established fact from the public material reviewed.

What can be established is that Mr Soft has now publicly alleged that he was abducted and unlawfully detained on March 26; Jude Gbaboyor had previously publicly identified a person known as Mr Soft in allegations concerning detention in Oporoza; and Gbaboyor has separately made allegations naming Tompolo and KFT in connection with a broader dispute over alleged detention facilities. 

Those separate allegations should not be treated as proof that either man was responsible for Mr Soft's case. 

The next development may come from Mr Soft himself if he follows through on his October 2 deadline and releases the evidence he says he has.