Unilorin lecturer says police detained him over claims about Kogi road project

University of Ilorin lecturer Olorunsuwa Ola says he was arrested at his home and taken to Kogi State after a petition over his social media comments about a road project. Mr Ola, a political science lecturer, told PREMIUM TIMES that about eight police officers arrived at his home in Ilorin, Kwara State, on 16 September. He said the officers did not show him a warrant despite his request to see one.

According to Mr Ola, the officers initially said he would be taken to police headquarters in Ilorin, but later drove him towards Kogi. He said he was held for several hours and was later required to return to the police station the following day to complete his release formalities. The petition, reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, was submitted to the Kogi State Commissioner of Police on 11 September by Kogi State Security Adviser Jerry Omodara.

It accused Mr Ola of making false allegations about the advertised reconstruction of the Kabba-Olle-Iluke Road. Mr Omodara said Mr Ola had claimed that the project was supported by the World Bank, with counterpart funding from the Kogi government. The security adviser rejected that account, saying the state had awarded the contract after advertising and inviting companies to bid.

He asked police to compel Mr Ola to produce documents supporting the World Bank claim or face possible cybercrime charges. Mr Omodara also said he had requested a retraction, but that Mr Ola later published what he described as a derogatory message. Mr Ola said he was forced to write a retraction and apologise to the state government as a condition of release.

He described the arrest and detention as unlawful and said he was considering legal action against Mr Omodara, the police commissioner and the Nigeria Police Force. PREMIUM TIMES said Mr Omodara and Kogi Commissioner of Police Naziru Kankarofi had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.