NACAT slams Delta govt over Oliver’s arrest, alleges plot to muzzle anti-graft voice

The Network Against Corruption and Anti-Drug Trafficking (NACAT) has accused the Delta State government of masterminding the arrest and detention of its Chairman, Mr. Fejiro Oliver, describing it as a plot to silence a “fearless voice against corruption.”

In a statement signed by its Operations Manager, Mr. Stanley Ugagbe, the organisation fingered Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Senator Ede Dafinone as the brains behind the arrest, allegedly carried out by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force.

Oliver, a journalist and whistleblower, was reportedly picked up in Abuja on September 18 and whisked to Asaba, where he is being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) alongside suspected criminals and kidnappers.

NACAT described the development as political persecution, warning that it signals a dangerous trend against free speech and democratic accountability.

“This is not just an unlawful detention, it is a brazen act of political persecution aimed at silencing a fearless voice against corruption,” the group said.

The anti-graft organisation stressed that Oliver’s ordeal poses a broader threat to civil liberties, press freedom and the rule of law in Nigeria.

“Mr. Oliver’s investigative work has exposed deep-seated corruption and abuse of office at various levels of government. His continued detention is an attack not only on him as an individual but on the fundamental rights of every Nigerian,” NACAT stated.

It accused the Delta government of weaponising state institutions to punish dissent and urged the Nigerian Police to resist being used as a political tool.

Calling for urgent intervention from civil society, the media, human rights groups and the international community, NACAT demanded Oliver’s immediate and unconditional release.

“The world must not look away. Today it is Fejiro Oliver; tomorrow, it could be anyone who dares to speak truth to power,” it added.