Journalist Goes Missing As Publisher Fingers Police In Alleged Abduction Over CBN Official’s Story

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have come under scrutiny following allegations that a journalist with Secrets Reporters, Stanley Ugagbe, was abducted by security operatives over an investigative report involving the CBN Deputy Governor for Operations, Emem Nnanna Etuk Usoro.

The allegation was made on Thursday by the publisher of Secrets Reporters, Fejiro Oliver, who accused security operatives of unlawfully taking the journalist away after he returned from a training programme sponsored by the media organisation.

Oliver alleged that Ugagbe was seized on Wednesday and later taken to his residence, where his official phone and laptop were confiscated.

According to Oliver, the operation was allegedly linked to a report published by Secrets Reporters concerning Usoro.

“The Nigerian security acting on the orders of Ms Emem Nnanna Etuk Usoro who is the CBN Deputy Governor in charge of operations has abducted a reporter with Secrets Reporters, Stanley Ugagbe,” Oliver alleged.

He said the incident raised serious concerns about abuse of power, intimidation of journalists and unlawful detention.

“He was abducted yesterday while coming from a training the company sent him to. Stanley is also the operations manager of the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking,” he said.

Oliver claimed that armed men who stormed the journalist’s residence carried Israeli-made Tavor rifles and arrived in an unmarked tinted Mitsubishi Pajero.

The publisher said he contacted the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, after learning of the incident.

According to him, the DSS boss immediately made internal inquiries and was informed that the agency had not arrested the journalist.

Oliver added that a senior DSS official in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) later contacted him and denied that Ugagbe was in DSS custody.

He said efforts to locate the journalist at several police facilities in Abuja had also been unsuccessful.

“We have searched the police facilities in former SARS, FCT command and parts of police HQs and can’t find him there,” he said.

Oliver accused the police of failing to provide clear information on Ugagbe’s whereabouts and called for his immediate release or arraignment in court.

“The Police should immediately release Stanley or charge him to court,” he said.

He described the alleged action as unlawful and warned against the use of cybercrime allegations or civil complaints to target journalists.

The development comes months after Secrets Reporters published an investigative report on January 29, 2026, containing allegations about the personal life and assets of the CBN deputy governor.

The report cited court filings in a matrimonial suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and alleged that Usoro was named as a co-respondent in the case.

It also claimed that investigations linked the senior CBN official to two properties in the United States valued at over 4 billion naira.

The allegations against Usoro have not been independently verified in this report.