Chief Nubari Saatah, President of the Niger Delta Congress (NDC), has been released after his arrest for planning a protest against President Bola Tinubu’s emergency rule in Rivers State.
A member of the pro-democracy TakeItBack Movement confirmed his release on Wednesday evening, attributing it to the group’s intervention. The source clarified that no bail payment was required but that an undertaking was signed to inform the police before organizing future protests.
“Yes, we just signed an undertaking to inform them whenever we want to hold a protest,” the source stated.
Saatah was taken into custody on Tuesday in Port Harcourt and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). His arrest followed a police invitation issued to NDC spokesperson Mudiaga Ogboru, who had criticized Tinubu’s emergency rule and encouraged Niger Delta residents to exercise their civil rights through protests. Rather than waiting for Ogboru to respond to the invitation, the authorities arrested the NDC President instead.
A source explained, “The police invited the NDC spokesperson, Mudiaga Ogboru, over his criticism of the emergency rule and his call for Niger Delta people to exercise their civil rights through protests. Instead of waiting for him, they arrested the president and detained him.”
Ogboru later confirmed receiving two separate police invitations—one from the Lagos State Police Command and another from the Rivers State Police Command.
“I got two different invitations, one from Lagos Police Command and another from Rivers Police Command,” he revealed. “It is regarding our planned protest against the emergency rule. Since they couldn’t reach me, they arrested our president in Rivers, where he resides.”
A police invitation letter obtained by Arogbo-Ibe Voice Reporters indicated that Ogboru was expected to report to the State Intelligence Department (SID) office in Ikeja, Lagos, by March 25, 2025, for a fact-finding inquiry.
Saatah’s arrest triggered widespread outrage among activists and civil society organizations, who condemned the move as an attempt to silence opposition to Tinubu’s emergency rule in Rivers State. Critics argue that the declaration undermines democracy and suppresses dissent in the oil-rich region.
