Nigerian journalist Stanley Ugagbe forcibly disappeared after investigative report

Abuja, July 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate Wednesday’s seizure of Secret Reporters journalist Stanley Ugagbe by two armed men in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and secure his safe return. 

“Nigerian authorities must swiftly investigate the whereabouts of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, ensure his immediate safety, and hold those responsible for his disappearance to account,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “The Nigerian government must act urgently to end the horrific pattern of enforced disappearances of journalists and others in a country that claims to uphold democratic values.”

The Secret Reporters news site’s publisher Tega Oghenedoro, known by his pen name, Fejiro Oliver, and senior reporter Paul Utebor told CPJ that Ugabe’s neighbors saw Ugagbe enter his apartment in Jikwoyi, a northeastern Abuja suburb, on July 1, followed by two armed men, who had arrived in a black jeep. The three then left the house, with the unidentified men carrying a laptop and phones. When the neighbors tried to intervene, the men refused to speak or identify themselves while Ugagbe shouted, “Call my office.” 

The journalists told CPJ they believed the incident was related to the outlet’s recent investigation into corruption and infidelity allegations involving an executive with Nigeria’s Central Bank. Ugagbe was the lead reporter. 

After Ugagbe called the executive from his own phone to request comment prior to publication, he received a call from a man who identified himself as Ibrahim, denied the allegations in the story, and asked Ugagbe to refrain from publishing, they said. 

Oliver said they received a call on July 1, from sources within the police force who informed them that Ugagbe had been taken to the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in Abuja’s Guzape district. The SARS unit was disbanded in 2020 after mass protests. 

The two journalists said they had visited that site, all police stations in Jikwoyi, and the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters and Federal Capital Territory Police Command Headquarters in Abuja, but found no news of Ugagbe. 

Oliver said he called the police source who said other police officers told him Ugagbe was at the former SARS office and the journalist had written a police statement on July 1. Utebor also told CPJ on Friday, that Secret Reporters office security said they saw three men arrive at their office premises on Wednesday in a black jeep and showed their ID cards, which appeared to be police IDs, but refused to name who they were looking for.  

FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh told CPJ that the police were investigating Ugagbe’s disappearance, but they had not found any record of his detention at their regional offices. She said that there was no indication that he had been taken by the police. 

CPJ’s calls and messages to the federal police spokesperson, Anietie Okokon, received no replies. CPJ also called and messaged the Director General of the State Security Service, Oluwatosin Ajayi, the CBN executive mentioned in the Secret Reporters publications, and publicly listed numbers on the CBN website, but received no replies. 

Nigerian journalists were similarly taken in 2024, when journalist Segun Olatunji was seized from his home by armed military officers, and journalist Daniel Ojukwu went missing for 48 hours after being secretly arrested by police.