The family of Nigerian journalist and whistleblower, Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike, has cried out over his continued disappearance three weeks after he was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force. Akuwudike was apprehended shortly after he granted a revealing interview to journalist Adeola Fayehun, in which he alleged a coordinated smear campaign against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akuwudike, a media activist based in Owerri, Imo State, reportedly exposed a ₦2.5 million blackmail scheme orchestrated by one Sandra Duru (popularly known as Prof Mgbeke), allegedly under the financial sponsorship of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Speaking in a distressed tone, his wife, whose video was obtained by reporters recounted the trauma her family has faced since his arrest.
“I have not spoken with him for three weeks. They (police) came and took him away. I haven’t heard from him, and I don’t know his condition,” she said.
“His children have been crying every time. His father is sick, and he’s worried and wants to see him, and my husband is the first son. This is three weeks since the police came here and arrested him, and the information we got is that they took him to Abuja.”
Akuwudike’s lawyer confirmed his arrest in a phone call, stating:
“He was arrested in the early hours of today. Here in Owerri.”
Sources close to the case believe Akuwudike’s arrest was connected to revelations made in his interview, where he confessed to receiving payment to produce defamatory videos about Senator Natasha but withdrew upon realizing the assignment was based on lies.
“I received money for producing videos but grew concerned after noticing inconsistencies in Duru’s public statements,” Akuwudike said during the interview.
“After that livestream and other things, I began to uncover, I knew I had to come clean. Everything she said about Natasha was fabricated lies.”
The police are said to be acting on the orders of Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. Neither the police nor the IG’s office has issued any official statement about the journalist’s whereabouts or the charges against him.
Meanwhile, the controversy deepens as the Nigerian government has initiated legal proceedings against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for alleged criminal defamation, following her claim that Senate President Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello plotted to assassinate her.
Filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the case lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as complainant and Senator Natasha as the sole defendant. The prosecution, under Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code Law, follows her bold statement on Channels Television*’s Politics Today.
“I do stand by what I said. In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me,” she declared.
The court documents name Akpabio and Bello among six witnesses, effectively linking political elites to both legal and extrajudicial pressures surrounding the case.
Civil society organizations and press freedom advocates have raised concerns about the increasing trend of silencing whistleblowers and journalists in Nigeria. Calls are mounting for the police to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Akuwudike and either charge him in a court of law or release him.
As his family remains in anguish, the mystery surrounding Akuwudike’s fate casts a chilling shadow over Nigeria’s democratic principles and press freedom.
