DSS Abducts Journalist Amieyeofori Over NUPRC Corruption Report, Holds Him Incommunicado Since March

A journalist and former African Independent Television (AIT) employee, Dr. Tekena Amieyeofori, has been held incommunicado by the Department of State Services (DSS) since March 10, 2025, after he was reportedly abducted in Abuja over his role in exposing alleged corruption within the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Amieyeofori, also serving as the National Secretary of the Niger Delta Youth Synergy & Co., was arrested alongside Comrade Goodluck Braide, the group’s President, after they submitted a petition addressed to the Executive Secretary of the NUPRC, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe. The petition, which Amieyeofori co-signed, alleged wide-ranging infractions including egregious corruption, poor implementation of the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Policy, and the incompetent regulation of the upstream petroleum sector.

The group in the letter had condemned the activities of the commission, which amounted to an “infraction of the statutory mandate of the commission under Engineer Gbenga Komolafe.”

Sources close to the group say the DSS, also known as the State Security Service (SSS), acted on the influence of the commission, effecting the arrest without any formal charges or court proceedings.

Since their abduction, Amieyeofori has reportedly been denied access to his family, legal counsel, and medical attention. Concerns over his continued detention and well-being have grown, especially as attempts by his lawyers to secure access to him have gone unanswered.

In a formal appeal to the DSS, a law firm representing the family of Amieyeofori has requested immediate access to the detained journalist and called for his release on bail. The letter, dated July 7, 2025, was issued by Steel Attorneys, a firm of legal practitioners based in Abuja, and addressed to the Director General of the DSS with attention to the agency’s Legal Services Department.

In the letter, signed by Tamunotonye Ekundayo, the firm stated that it was acting on the instructions of Amieyeofori’s family. The detained journalist, they reminded the DSS, is a respected media practitioner, pro-democracy activist, and human rights advocate who was arrested on March 10, 2025, by operatives of the DSS in the Lokogoma area of Abuja.

“Since his arrest, [he] has been in your custody till date,” the lawyers wrote. “As such, we request that he should be granted access to his Lawyers, Families and ultimately be released on bail being the bread winner of his home, pending the conclusion of investigation.”

Citing legal precedents and international obligations binding on Nigeria, the letter referenced the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the United Nations Charter, all of which, the firm noted, “solidly guarantee the rights of detainees to legal representation and attorneys of their choice.”

The legal team urged the DSS to respond promptly and favorably to the request, adding, “Whilst anticipating your prompt and favourable response, please accept our kind regards.”

However, no response was received from the agency.

A follow-up reminder was sent and acknowledged by the DSS on July 9, 2025. In that correspondence, human rights lawyer M.D. Abubakar strongly criticised the agency’s alleged pattern of unconstitutional detentions.

"Sadly, as experience has shown, the service has an unconstitutional disdain, disregard and contempt of granting access to persons under detention," Abubakar wrote. "Please note that the right of detainees to access attorneys of their choice and to prompt and adequate representation is a right protected by the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, the UN Charter and other international treaties and best practices which solidly guarantee the rights of detainees to legal representation and attorneys of their choice."

As of the time of filing this report, the DSS has neither acknowledged the petitions publicly nor commented on the circumstances surrounding Amieyeofori’s prolonged detention.

Petition That Got Amieyeofori Arrested

Amieyeofori’s abduction and continued detention by the DSS stemmed directly from a petition he co-authored with the Niger Delta Youth Synergy & Co. The letter, addressed to Gbenga Komolafe, NUPRC Executive Secretary, levelled strong accusations against the commission and its leadership, prompting what sources believe to be retaliatory action.

In the petition, the youth group condemned “gross infraction of its (NUPRC) statutory mandate” under his watch. It accused the NUPRC of corruption, poor implementation of the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Policy, and incompetent regulation of the Petroleum Upstream, among other alleged infractions.

Signed by Dr. Amieyeofori (National Secretary) and Comrade Goodluck Braide (President), the Niger Delta Youth Synergy & Co. stated that the Commission had failed to live up to its regulatory responsibilities. The letter specifically highlighted what it described as “severe ecological damage” to host communities and a failure to ensure that the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation initiative achieved its intended goals.

While the group asserted that its demands were made in good faith, the fallout from the letter was immediate. Both Amieyeofori and Braide were arrested by the DSS on March 10, 2025, shortly after the letter was delivered.

The petition also called for urgent reforms within the NUPRC, including a forensic audit of its financial and regulatory activities, a public hearing at the National Assembly, and a complete overhaul of its leadership structure.

The signatories said that in October 2024, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts uncovered a staggering revenue leakage amounting to ₦32.15 billion in financial records submitted by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The figures, covering revenues generated between 2015 and 2022, revealed serious concerns over the Commission’s financial practices.

It noted that the lawmakers expressed strong disapproval of what they described as NUPRC’s “noncompliance with standard procedures.” One of the most alarming findings was that over ₦4.9 trillion had allegedly been funneled into “private accounts in deposit banks,” a clear breach of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

It said that the legislative review also flagged inconsistencies in the Commission’s remita reporting. According to the committee, over ₦15 billion was listed in remita records but was “not captured in NUPRC data,” while an additional ₦6.3 billion worth of transactions appeared in the Commission’s dataset yet was “absent from remita records.”

Citing these “significant discrepancies,” the House has called for a comprehensive probe into what it termed the Commission’s “alleged financial irregularities” during the period under current leadership, the group said.

The group concluded the letter by affirming its commitment to transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

It went on to describe the Commission’s performance as “a betrayal of the people's confidence and trust” in the Federal Government and its institutions.

It argued that such “governance failure fuels poverty” and deepens the suffering of already marginalised communities bearing the brunt of the oil and gas industry’s environmental impact in the Niger Delta. According to the group, this dire situation is precisely what “breeds violent conflict” in the oil-producing region.

While reaffirming their commitment to nonviolence, the group stressed that it would not “fold our arms and watch” as lives are gradually destroyed by systemic neglect and poor governance.

They warned that a coordinated response was imminent, stating: “Our team of lawyers and allies across nine states of the Niger Delta have been contacted and are on stand-by” to initiate legal and civil action against the NUPRC for what they termed a “gross infraction of its statutory mandate.”

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