The family of Niger Delta activist Owoupele Owous have expressed worry over his continued detention by the Department of State Services and claims that he has not been allowed to see lawyers or relatives.
Owous it gathered was arrested around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Itakpe Train Station in Kogi State.
Family source said that after the arrest, he has remain unreachable.
Following his arrest, Owous was reportedly transported to Abuja, where he was handed over to the Karu Police Division for what officials described as “safekeeping.”
However, associates and family members who visited the Karu Police Station to see him were unable to gain access.
They were told that the activist was not considered a suspect by the police and was only being held for a short time. Sources also said that on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, DSS officers returned to the police station and took Owous into custody.
The agency, since then, has reportedly not allowed his family or lawyers to see him, which has led to worries about his safety and the reasons for his detention.
The exact reason for his arrest has not been made public, but sources believe it may be linked to Owus’s recent activism related to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The activist had reportedly asked for a higher monthly stipend for ex-agitators and called for more transparency and accountability from Dennis Otuaro, the Special Adviser to the President and head of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
He was also said to have written to President Bola Tinubu requesting the decentralisation of the Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services, a firm linked to former militant leader Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
