DSS Arrests Niger Delta Activist Owous, Allegedly Denies Family Access

The Department of State Services has arrested Niger Delta activist, Owoupele Owous, sparking concern among his family members and associates over his continued detention and alleged denial of access to lawyers and relatives.

According to SaharaReporters, sources familiar with the matter said the activist was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Itakpe Train Station in Kogi State.

According to one of the sources, attempts to reach him after the arrest proved unsuccessful.

“So after some time I started calling him to know his whereabouts, but there was no response from him till evening, the next thing his phone went off,” the source said.

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 in a bid to see him were unable to gain access.

They were reportedly informed that the activist was not a suspect under the police command but was only being held temporarily.

Sources further disclosed that on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, operatives of the DSS returned to the police station and took custody of Owous.

Naija News learnt that since then, the agency has allegedly denied his family members and legal representatives access to him, raising concerns about his well-being and the circumstances surrounding his detention.

Although the exact reason for his arrest has not been officially disclosed, sources believe the development may be connected to Owous’ recent activism surrounding the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

The activist had reportedly called for an increase in the monthly stipend paid to ex-agitators and demanded greater transparency and accountability from the Special Adviser to the President and Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Otuaro.

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.

Family Alleges Incommunicado Detention

Family members have expressed concern over the circumstances of his arrest and detention, particularly the decision to initially transfer him to the Karu Police Station before he was later returned to DSS custody.

They alleged that the activist is currently being held incommunicado and called for his immediate release.

As of the time of filing this report, the DSS had yet to issue an official statement regarding the arrest or address the allegations surrounding his detention.

Meanwhile, Owous had previously faced legal proceedings over a cyberstalking allegation.

In August last year, he pleaded not guilty to a fresh charge filed against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite.

The case was initiated by the then Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, accusing the activist of submitting a petition alleging that Otuaro threatened to kill some protesters.

The charge stated in part: “That you Owoupele Eneonekumoh ‘m’ of Stella’s Estate, Okutukutu, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, did sometime on or about before and 23rd May, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court commit an illegal act to wit: cyberstalking.

“You criminally published, sent on the internet via WhatsApp, Facebook and also scanned and sent to the internet a petition written and signed by you to the Inspector General of Police, wherein you claimed one Dr Dennis Burutu Otuaro had threatened to kill protesters at Mbiama Junction and sponsored criminals to kill protesters in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta Region.

“You knew this to be false, and your intention was to bully, harass, injure the reputation of Dr Dennis Burutu Otuaro and place the good citizens of Bayelsa State in fear of death, violence and bodily harm.”

The charge, numbered FHC/CR/325/2025, was filed on July 28, 2025, and later served on Owous on August 20, 2025, after he was discharged from a Magistrate Court in Dutsen, Abuja, Naija News understands.