The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Niger Delta activist Owoupele Owous, sparking growing concern among his family members and associates over his continued detention and alleged denial of access to lawyers and relatives.
Sources familiar with the situation told Chronicles Reporters that Owous was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Itakpe Train Station in Kogi State while preparing to board a train.
A source close to the activist said attempts to reach him shortly after the arrest were unsuccessful.
“So after sometime I started calling him to know his whereabouts but there were no responses from him till evening. The next thing his phone went off,” the source said.
Following his arrest, Owous was reportedly taken to Abuja and handed over to the Karu Police Division for what officials described as “safe keeping.”
However, efforts by associates and family members to visit him at the Karu Police Station were unsuccessful. According to sources, police officials informed them that Owous was not a suspect under the police command but was only being held there temporarily.
Sources further revealed that on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, operatives of the DSS returned to the station and took custody of the activist.
Since then, the secret police have allegedly denied his family members and legal representatives access to him, raising concerns about his safety, condition and the circumstances surrounding his detention.
Although the exact reason for his arrest has not been officially disclosed by authorities, sources believe it may be connected to Owous’ recent activism concerning the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
According to insiders, the activist had publicly called for an increase in the monthly stipend paid to former Niger Delta agitators and demanded greater transparency and accountability from Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the Special Adviser to the President and Administrator of the programme.
Owous had also reportedly written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the Federal Government to decentralise the Niger Delta pipeline surveillance contract currently awarded to Tantita Security Services, a company linked to former militant leader Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
Family members have expressed deep concern over the manner of his arrest and the subsequent handling of his detention, particularly the decision to initially transfer him to the Karu Police Station before taking him back into DSS custody.
They further alleged that the activist is currently being held incommunicado and called on the authorities to either charge him to court or release him immediately.
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS had not issued any official statement regarding the arrest of Owous or the allegations surrounding his detention.
Meanwhile, Owous had previously faced legal action in August 2025 when he pleaded not guilty to a fresh charge filed against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The case, instituted by the then Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, is a one-count charge accusing the activist of cyberstalking.
The charge alleged that Owous had circulated a petition through social media platforms including WhatsApp and Facebook, claiming that Dr. Otuaro had threatened to kill protesters and sponsored criminals to attack demonstrators in Bayelsa State and the wider Niger Delta region.
According to the charge, the publication was intended to harass and damage the reputation of the Amnesty Programme administrator and cause fear among residents.
The charge, marked FHC/CR/325/2025, was filed on July 28, 2025, and later served on Owous on August 20, 2025, after he was discharged from the Magistrate Court in Dutsen, Abuja.
As the situation unfolds, civil society groups and activists in the Niger Delta are closely monitoring developments, with growing calls for transparency and respect for the rights of the detained activist.