Journalist Vanishes After CBN Story, Publisher Alleges Police Abduction

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have come under public attention following allegations that Stanley Ugagbe, a journalist with Secrets Reporters, was abducted by security operatives over an investigative report involving the CBN’s Deputy Governor for Operations, Emem Nnanna Etuk Usoro.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The allegation was made by the publisher of Secrets Reporters, Fejiro Oliver, who claimed that Ugagbe was taken into custody on Wednesday shortly after returning from a training programme sponsored by the media organisation.

According to Oliver, the journalist was later taken to his residence, where security operatives allegedly seized his official mobile phone and laptop.

The publisher alleged that the operation was connected to a report previously published by Secrets Reporters concerning Usoro.

“Nigerian security operatives, acting on the orders of Ms. Emem Nnanna Etuk Usoro, the CBN Deputy Governor in charge of Operations, abducted our reporter, Stanley Ugagbe,” Oliver alleged.

He described the incident as a disturbing case of alleged intimidation, abuse of power, and unlawful detention targeting a journalist.

Oliver noted that Ugagbe also serves as the Operations Manager of the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT).

He further claimed that the operatives who arrived at the journalist’s residence were armed with Israeli-made Tavor rifles and travelled in an unmarked, tinted Mitsubishi Pajero.

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

Oliver said the DSS leadership conducted internal checks and informed him that the agency had not arrested the journalist. He added that a senior DSS official in the Federal Capital Territory later reaffirmed that Ugagbe was not in the agency’s custody.

The publisher also stated that efforts to locate the journalist at several police facilities in Abuja, including former SARS offices, the FCT Police Command, and parts of the Force Headquarters, were unsuccessful.

“We searched multiple police facilities but could not find him. The police should either release Stanley immediately or charge him before a competent court,” Oliver said.

He criticised what he described as the growing use of cybercrime allegations and civil complaints to harass journalists carrying out investigative reporting.

The controversy follows an investigative report published by Secrets Reporters on January 29, 2026, which contained allegations concerning the personal life and assets of the CBN Deputy Governor.

The report referenced documents from a matrimonial case before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, alleging that Usoro was listed as a co-respondent. It also claimed that investigations linked the senior CBN official to two properties in the United States reportedly worth more than ₦4 billion.

The allegations contained in the report, as well as the publisher’s claims regarding the journalist’s disappearance, have not been independently verified, and the Nigeria Police Force and the Central Bank of Nigeria had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.