The family of Collins Aigbogun, a former Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation to Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday expressed deep concern over his continued detention following his arrest in connection with an anti-kidnapping protest in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area.

Aigbogun was taken into custody on January 10, after the protest escalated into violence. While other participants have since been released, the family said he remains in police custody despite being accused only of having knowledge of the protest.

Speaking at a press briefing in Benin, Aigbogun’s brother and lawyer, Bright Iluobe, said the detention raises serious constitutional and legal concerns.

“We state clearly that the continued detention of our client raises grave constitutional and legal concerns.

From our investigations, this arrest appears to be part of a recurring pattern of harassment, calculated to diminish our client’s political influence and silence his legitimate civic engagement,” Iluobe said.

He added, “This press briefing is not an invitation to try this matter in the media, nor is it intended to preempt the course of any investigation. Rather, it is a measured intervention prompted by the well-settled principle that where liberty is restrained, the law must speak clearly and act promptly.”

Iluobe also addressed reports linking the governor to Aigbogun’s detention, stressing that they did not believe the allegations to be true.

“We are particularly concerned by reports alleging that certain individuals are invoking the name of the Executive Governor of Edo State as being responsible for our client’s ordeal. We are confident that His Excellency would not condone the unlawful or prolonged detention of any citizen without due process,” he said.

Aigbogun’s wife, Vivian, spoke of the emotional and psychological toll the detention has had on her family, particularly their two-month-old baby.

“I am appealing to the governor, who is our father, to see my husband as a son and call for his release. I was called on the phone that my husband had been arrested; I could not see him until he was transferred to the police station. All those arrested regarding the protest have been released. I am a nursing mother and I am struggling to cope with this situation,” she said.

His elder brother, Tom Aigbogun, said the prolonged detention has also affected their elderly mother.

The incident stems from a protest on January 10, when angry residents of Ekpoma demonstrated against the killing of a youth by suspected kidnappers. Residents blocked the town’s entry and exit points, confronting security officials over the need to tackle insecurity.

A video circulating on social media showed the corpse of the deceased paraded through the community, while protesters set tyres ablaze, forcing motorists to turn back. The protest later escalated into a riot, prompting Governor Okpebholo, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, and other officials to relocate to the town before normalcy was restored.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has said that access to affordable housing is critical to improving the welfare, morale and productivity of officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

According to the IGP, providing sustainable and affordable housing for police personnel remains a priority under his leadership, noting that officers who are assured of decent living conditions are better motivated to carry out their constitutional duties.

A statement released on Wednesday by the Force Spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, said Egbetokun stated this on Tuesday while receiving the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Shehu Osidi, and his management team during a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

He described the visit as timely, stressing that stronger institutional partnerships between the Police Force and key housing agencies such as FMBN are essential to achieving long-term welfare goals for serving officers and retirees.

“IGP Egbetokun welcomed the FMBN leadership, describing the visit as timely and a significant step toward elevating the partnership between both organisations. He noted that such institutional alliances are vital to achieving the Force’s objective of providing sustainable housing solutions for its workforce.

IGP Egbetokun further reaffirmed that the welfare of all police personnel remains a top priority under his leadership. He stressed that providing affordable housing is essential to boosting the morale of officers who continually put their lives on the line in the service of the nation.

“The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to fostering strategic partnerships that ensure the dignity and well-being of its officers, both during and after their dedicated service to the country, ” the statement partly read.

Earlier, the Managing Director of FMBN, Osidi, commended the Nigeria Police Force for its cooperation, describing it as one of the Bank’s most strategic institutional partners.

He called for deeper collaboration to ensure that police personnel can access mortgage and housing benefits without administrative bottlenecks or disputes.

Osidi also reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to expanding housing access for police officers through tailored mortgage products and improved service delivery.

The welfare of police personnel, particularly access to affordable housing, has remained a longstanding challenge within the Nigeria Police Force, with many officers relying on rented accommodation throughout their service years.

In recent years, the Force has intensified efforts to improve staff welfare through partnerships with key institutions, including the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, to expand access to mortgage financing and home ownership.

A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has responded to comments made during the ongoing trial of activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, following questions raised by Sowore’s lawyer over his clearance by the Department of State Services despite past remarks against President Bola Tinubu.

Omokri, in a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Wednesday, addressed claims made in court by Sowore and his counsel, Mr Abubakar Marshal, during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

The issue arose during the trial when Sowore’s lawyer confronted the DSS over why Omokri was cleared for an ambassadorial appointment despite previously describing Tinubu as a “drug lord” on national television.

Reacting, Omokri admitted that he made the remarks in the past but said he later discovered they were untrue and withdrew them publicly.

“With regard to the claims made by Mr Omoyele Sowore and his counsel, Mr Abubakar Marshal, in court on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, I do freely admit that I did make uncomplimentary remarks about the then Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, while believing those comments to be true at the time I uttered them,” he said.

He added, “Subsequent to making those statements, I discovered that they were not, in fact, true, and I publicly withdrew them in writing and on video at various times and through multiple platforms.”

Omokri said he affirmed Tinubu as President on May 29, 2023, the day he was sworn in, and urged Nigerians to move on.

“On the day that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn in as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… I released a statement affirming him as President of Nigeria and urging members of the public to put the past behind them and give him their full support,” he said.

He noted that he reiterated the position on October 26, 2023, after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging Tinubu’s election.

“In that judgment, the honourable court declared that there were no criminal charges or convictions against the President,” Omokri stated.

He said he accepted the ruling and changed his position on his earlier claims.

“Based on that verdict, my stance on the statements I had made against the President had changed: not only was it wrong, but I fully believed it was fallacious,” he said.

Omokri said he later granted interviews to TVC, News Central Television and Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he publicly apologised.

“I admitted to the Nigerian public and the world at large during a live broadcast that I was wrong about those statements I made about the then-candidate,” he said.

He also disclosed that he apologised to Tinubu privately in October 2024.

“I flew into Nigeria from my home in California, and apologised to him in person, prostrating flat on the ground,” Omokri stated.

Addressing the legal argument raised in court, Omokri said Sowore could not rely on statements he had withdrawn years earlier to defend later publications.

“Therefore, Mr Sowore cannot rely on statements I made between 2022 and 2023, and then publicly withdrew in 2023, as a defence for statements he made in August 2025,” he said.

He further quoted from Phipson on Evidence, stating, “Former oral or written statements by any person… may not be given in evidence if the purpose is to tender them as evidence of the truth of the matters asserted.”

Omokri again denied the allegation against the President.

“I again affirm today… that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord,” he said.

“I make these statements voluntarily, freely and of my own volition… and I am fully prepared to testify to the above under oath in court.”

The reaction followed dramatic scenes at the Federal High Court on Tuesday during Sowore’s trial on a two-count amended charge of cybercrime.

During cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, DSS operative Mr Cyril Nosike, Sowore’s lawyer tendered a flash drive containing video clips of Omokri.

One clip showed Omokri in a 2023 ARISE News interview saying, “Drug lord is not an unprintable name. Bola Tinubu is a known drug lord. I’ve got documents to back it up.”

Another clip showed him stating that he would never work with Tinubu.

After the playback, Abubakar asked why the DSS cleared Omokri for an ambassadorial appointment despite the comments.

Although the prosecution counsel, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, objected to the admissibility of the exhibits, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, overruled the objection and admitted them in evidence.