DSS Arrests Niger Delta Activist Over Cyberbullying Allegations

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Delta-born journalist and Niger Delta activist, Iteveh Nur’ Ekpokpobe, in Abuja over allegations of cyberbullying linked to his anti-corruption advocacy. Ekpokpobe and his lawyer, Onyishi Chukwuemeka, were reportedly taken into custody on February 4 in the Federal Capital Territory.

Sources said the arrest followed complaints connected to the former Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, who was recently removed from office. Ekpokpobe had been involved in organising protests and coordinating a coalition of civil society groups that called for an investigation into alleged corruption within the commission.

The coalition accused the former NUPRC leadership of regulatory abuse, asset manipulation, and revenue concealment involving several oil mining and prospecting licences. It alleged that misclassification and concealment of producing assets resulted in revenue losses estimated at over $20 billion, alongside claims of unlawful acreage reductions across multiple oil blocks.

Associates of the activist said Ekpokpobe has been held without access to his lawyers or family, raising concerns over his welfare. They called on the DSS to either release him and his lawyer immediately or transfer the case to the police for prosecution in line with due process under Nigeria’s cybercrime laws.