The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Niger Delta activist Owoupele Owous, drawing concern from his family and supporters over his ongoing detention and the alleged denial of access to legal representatives and relatives.

Sources close to the situation revealed that Owous was arrested around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Itakpe Train Station in Kogi State. Following the arrest, attempts to contact him went unanswered.

One source recounted: “After a while, I started calling him to find out where he was, but there was no response until evening, when his phone eventually went dead.”

After his initial arrest, Owous was reportedly transferred to Abuja and placed under the custody of the Karu Police Division, where officials described his detention as “temporary.”

However, when family members and associates attempted to visit him at the Karu Police Station, they were told that Owous was not a suspect and was only being held there for safekeeping.

On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, DSS operatives returned to the station and took Owous back into their custody. Since then, the DSS has allegedly blocked all access to him, including from his family and legal team, sparking growing concerns about his well-being and the circumstances of his detention.

While the official reason for Owous’ arrest has yet to be made public, there is speculation that it may be connected to his recent activism surrounding the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Sources suggest that Owous had recently called for an increase in the monthly stipends for ex-agitators and had demanded greater accountability from Dennis Otuaro, Special Adviser to the President and Administrator of the Programme. He also reportedly wrote to President Bola Tinubu, urging for the decentralisation of the Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services, a company linked to former militant leader Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.

Owous’ family has raised alarms over the manner of his arrest and detention, particularly the transfer from the police station to DSS custody, which they deem questionable. They have also expressed concerns over his being held incommunicado and are calling for his immediate release.

As of this report, the DSS has not issued a statement addressing the arrest or the allegations surrounding his detention.

This arrest comes just months after Owous faced legal challenges. In August 2025, he pleaded not guilty to a charge filed against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite. The case, initiated by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, involved a one-count charge accusing Owous of submitting a petition to the IGP alleging that Otuaro had threatened to kill protesters.

The charge read: "That you Owoupele Eneonekumoh, of Stella's Estate, Okutukutu, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, did sometime on or about before and 23rd May, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, commit an illegal act to wit; cyberstalking. You criminally published, sent on the internet via WhatsApp, Facebook, and also scanned and sent to the internet, a petition written and signed by you to the Inspector General of Police wherein you claimed one Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro had threatened to kill protesters at Mbiama Junction and sponsored criminals to kill protesters in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta Region. You knew this to be false, and your intention was to bully, harass, and damage the reputation of Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, thereby causing fear of death, violence, and bodily harm among the good citizens of Bayelsa State. You thereby committed an offence contrary to section 24(1)(a) and (b) (2)(a) and (c), punishable under section 24(2)(i)(ii) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2025), as amended, 2024."

The charge, numbered FHC/CR/325/2025, was filed on July 28, 2025, and served to Owous on August 20, 2025, following his discharge from the Magistrate Court in Dutsen, Abuja.