A Kogi State activist, Austin Okai, has been released from detention weeks after his arrest by security operatives and subsequent detention at the Federal Correctional Center in Kabba.
Okai, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is facing trial for allegedly accusing Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo of stealing billions of naira meant for Local Government Area Councils in the state, as well as funds allocated to some state government agencies.
According to a viral video on social media, Okai was arrested by operatives of the DSS at his home in Abuja, forcefully dragged out in the presence of his family, and taken to Lokoja.
Earlier, a Magistrate’s Court in Lokoja granted the prosecution’s request in the alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation case brought against the opposition politician and social critic, allowing the DSS to conclude its investigations into the allegations.
The DSS sought Okai’s remand in prison custody to comply with legal provisions preventing law enforcement from detaining an accused person for more than 48 hours without a court order, in line with Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
In his ruling on the matter, Magistrate Mobah Abdullahi of the Chief Magistrate Court 1, sitting at Lugard Court in Lokoja, granted the prosecution’s application.
