The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council has raised an alarm over the arrest and continued detention of a journalist, Stanley Ugagbe, a reporter with SecretReporters, an online news platform, by yet-to-be-identified security operatives.
The union in a statement by the Secretary, Jide Oyekunle, said it views the development with grave concern, particularly as the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the journalist remain unclear.
It added that no official explanation has been provided regarding the whereabouts of the arrested journalist, including the allegations against him, or the legal basis for his detention.”
The NUJ’s attention was drawn to the unfortunate incident, which reportedly occurred on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Mr. Ugagbe’s residence in Jikwoyi Phase II, Abuja.
“It was gathered that shortly after he returned home from work that evening, four armed men dressed in mufti allegedly arrived at his residence and whisked him away to an unknown destination.
“One of the men was said to be dressed in a T-shirt and trousers, while another was carrying an assault rifle.
“It was further gathered that Mr. Ugagbe’s mobile phone and laptop were confiscated before he was taken away in an unmarked black Mitsubishi Pajero SUV with tinted windows,” the NUJ recounted in the statement.
The statement added that the leadership of the NUJ has since reached out to various security agencies to ascertain Mr. Ugagbe’s whereabouts and whether he is in their custody.
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However, the union expressed dismay that the various security agencies contacted have denied holding the journalist or having any knowledge of his whereabouts.
The NUJ therefore called on the relevant security agencies to immediately disclose the identity of the operatives involved, state the reasons for Mr. Ugagbe’s arrest, grant him immediate access to his family and legal representatives, and either charge him before a court of competent jurisdiction if there is any lawful basis for doing so, or release him without further delay.
The statement said the NUJ will continue to monitor the situation closely and support all efforts aimed at safeguarding press freedom in Nigeria, until Mr. Ugagbe is released.
