A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, July 14, remanded journalist Stanley Ugagbe in Kuje Correctional Centre until September 21 after his bail application could not be heard.
His legal counsel, Pauline Olorunyomi told The ICIR that Ugagbe’s legal team filed a bail application on Tuesday morning. However, the trial judge said he had not read the application, while the prosecution insisted it needed time to respond.
The prosecution was also said to have informed the court that it would be unavailable next week, prompting the adjournment of the matter until after the annual court vacation, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, 27 July 2026 and end on Friday, 11 September 2026. This means the journalist, who has been remanded pending the commencement of trial, will remain in jail for two months.
The journalist, who works with online news platform Secret Reporters, went missing after sources said he was abducted from his Abuja residence on July 1. He was later traced to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre.
His arrest and detention drew criticism from media rights organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute Nigeria, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, which raised concerns over the persistent use of cybercrime laws against journalists.
However, the police had filed a six-count charge against Ugagbe and the publisher of Secret Reporters, Fejiro Oliver, who is listed in court documents as being at large.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/350/2026, the defendants were accused of conspiracy and cyberstalking under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
According to the charge sheet, the allegations stemmed from a series of reports published by the platform about the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Emem Usoro.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants knowingly published false reports, including stories titled “CBN Deputy Governor Emem Nana Usoro Hides N1.4 Billion California Luxury Condo in Asset Declaration Scandal” and “CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Linked to N3.6bn Los Angeles Property Amid Questions Over Asset Declaration Compliance.”
They were also accused of publishing another report titled “Adulterous Woman: How CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Turned Side Chic, Paraded Herself as Man’s Wife, Destroyed Couple’s Union.”
The prosecution alleged that the publications were intended to harass, intimidate and damage the reputation of the senior CBN official.
The defendants were further charged under provisions of the Penal Code bordering on defamation.
The ICIR reported that IPI Nigeria and CPJ raised the alarm over Ugagbe’s disappearance.
In a statement jointly signed by its Secretary, Ahmed I. Shekarau, and Legal Adviser/Chair, Advocacy Committee, Tobi Soniyi, IPI Nigeria said it received the report on the journalist’s detention with deep concern.
“According to available reports, four unidentified men abducted the journalist from his residence in Abuja on Wednesday.
“The Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Secret Reporters, Fejiro Oliver, alleged that officers of the Nigeria Police Force carried out the operation while Ugagbe was returning home from an official training programme,” part of the statement said.
According to Oliver, the operatives took the reporter to his house in Jikwoyi, Abuja, where they seized his official laptop and mobile phone before whisking him away to an unknown destination.
“Our lawyer and editor, alongside a senior reporter, searched the former SARS facility, the FCT Police Command and the Force Headquarters without finding him. Another reporter visited the Jikwoyi and Karu police stations to determine whether the officers involved had documented their operation, but found no such record. They also checked the detention facilities at both stations, and he was not there.” Oliver said.
The IPI wondered why security agencies could resort to what it called unlawful arrests of journalists at a time when the country was battling serious security challenges, calling on President Tinubu to direct relevant security agencies to produce the journalists immediately.
The ICIR reports that the incident highlights continued attacks on journalists by state actors in Nigeria.
Over the past decades, several journalists in Nigeria have been arrested, detained, and killed in violent incidents linked to their work or unsafe reporting conditions.
The ICIR reports that between 2019 and 2025, at least 21 journalists were killed, while 94 others were attacked, including cases of kidnapping, assault, mob violence and other threats to their safety.
In 2024, the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) placed Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.
By this, Nigeria ranked 112th out of 180 countries where journalists are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.