Kogi Court Sends Opposition Austin Okai To Prison Over Explosive Claims Against Governor Ododo

Kogi Court Sends Opposition Austin Okai To Prison Over Explosive Claims Against Governor Ododo

A Magistrate Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has approved the detention of political activist Austin Okai following allegations of cyberstalking and criminal defamation against Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

The Department of State Services (DSS) requested the court’s permission to hold Okai beyond the 48-hour legal limit for detention without judicial approval, in line with Nigeria’s Criminal Justice System…….READ MORE 

Delivering the ruling on Friday, Magistrate Mobah Abdullahi of Chief Magistrate Court 1, Lugard Court, Lokoja, granted the DSS’s request, ordering Okai’s remand at the Federal Correctional Center in Kabba. The case is scheduled for hearing on March 13, 2025.

Okai, a former PDP candidate for the Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, is being prosecuted over a social media post in which he accused Governor Ododo of misappropriating billions of naira allocated for local government councils and state agencies.

Security operatives reportedly stormed Okai’s Abuja residence early Wednesday and took him into custody without presenting an arrest warrant, according to his wife.

A vocal opposition figure, Okai has frequently criticized the Kogi State government, making this arrest a controversial development in the state’s political landscape.