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JUST-IN: Police Nab Niger Delta Congress President After Calls for Protest Against Emergency Rule
The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) president, Nubari Saatah has been nabbed for calling for a protest against Emergency Rule.
In a statement issued by the group on Sunday, they condemned the state of emergency and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and the state legislature. NDC is a socio-political group established in Port Harcourt in 2019 to help promote the political and economic autonomy of the Niger Delta region.
It was learnt that the police arrested Saatah on Tuesday evening and were holding him at the Octopus division in Diobu, Port Harcourt.
The NDC statement reads in part, “By suspending two branches of government and imposing a military caretaker, the federal government has made it clear that political rivalries can supersede democratic principles. We demand that President Tinubu immediately reverse this decision, reinstate Governor Fubara and the elected assembly, and commit to dialogue over diktat. To this end, we call on our people to take to the streets in a peaceful protest against indirect and undemocratic rule in Rivers State.”
While confirming the arrest to FIJ on Wednesday, the NDC’s national spokesperson said he got a call from Rivers State Police on Tuesday, asking him to report to the division in Port Harcourt. This was after he had received a letter from the State Intelligence Department in Lagos, inviting him to appear at the SID office in Ikeja on or before 11:00 am on Tuesday.
“I told them that I was not in Rivers State but in Lagos. I also told them that the president was in Rivers. The reason for the invite was a statement on Sunday and a radio interview aired on Monday calling for a protest against this state of emergency in the state,” Ogboru disclosed.
“I told the police officer that there was no need for me to attend the invite in Lagos since I was planning to be in Rivers, and he said it was fine. It was this morning that I got to know that the president had been apprehended and was still in detention.
“Because the NDC is a peaceful organisation, we were even ready to honour their invitation and dialogue with them.”
Ogboru also disclosed that the national president was arrested alongside another NDC member, who was later released that same day. The arrest was made by operatives of the Octopus Squad, a unit of the police force.
He said he still spoke with Saatah on Tuesday morning, only for the police to arrest him by evening. He said none of them have been able to reach the president since his arrest.
“What the police are doing is unconstitutional. We were very clear that the protest would be peaceful, so I don’t know why the police are doing this,” Ogboru said.
“After learning of the arrest, I called the police officer who called me earlier. He said he was not aware of any arrest. It was later that we got to know that the Octopus Squad of the police arrested him.”
Amayie King, the founding chairman of the congress, also told FIJ that the police used another member who was arrested to get the detained national president.
“He is like a PA to the president. The police felt that if they got to him, they would definitely get to the president. He was released immediately after they arrested the president,” King said.
King, who is also the coordinator of the Throw it Back (TIB) movement, a community of human rights defenders, said Saatah was arrested around 5:30 pm.
“I spoke with the commissioner of police this morning, and he said it’s just an invitation. He claimed that they wanted to talk to the president. They are just trying to shut down people’s voices by all means,” King told FIJ.
Gists9ja understands that if the police force does not release the NDC president by the end of Wednesday, the protest they are trying to avert in Rivers could happen.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the police spokesperson in Rivers, could not be reached for comments. When FIJ dialled her number around 11:20 am on Wednesday, a lady who identified as her personal assistant told our reporter that she was in a meeting.
“You are speaking with her PA. She is in a meeting. You may need to drop a message for her,” said the lady.
Two people were killed and several others injured in a violent bandit attack on Tuge town, Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina State, on Friday morning.
According to residents, the assailants stormed the community around 7:00 am, firing sporadically and forcing locals to flee for safety.
The victims sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving medical treatment.
The attack comes despite multiple peace deals brokered between Musawa local authorities and bandit groups operating in the area.
Community leaders had hoped these agreements would reduce violence and allow displaced residents to return to normal life.
Security forces were reportedly alerted as the attackers withdrew, but many residents questioned the value of the peace arrangements, pointing out that rural communities in Katsina remain highly vulnerable.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has restated that it is a self-governing political party, insisting it is not controlled by any single person.
The party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC remains accessible to all Nigerians, including prominent political figures such as former presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
He maintained that no individual can claim ownership of the party.
Abdullahi made the clarification during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, Friday, where he dismissed claims that the ADC is being groomed to advance the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to him, such claims are unfounded and largely driven by individuals who lack a proper understanding of the party’s internal structure.
He explained that ADC members are fully aware that the party operates on collective ownership, a principle that allows it to welcome influential politicians from different backgrounds.
“Those of us within the ADC know that the party does not belong to any one person. That is why someone like Peter Obi can join, and why Rotimi Amaechi is already a member,” he said.
He further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is behind the growing speculation, accusing it of attempting to interfere in the ADC’s internal affairs.
The ADC spokesperson also assured that the party’s presidential candidate would be chosen through due process, stressing that the outcome is not prearranged.
“Whoever eventually becomes our presidential candidate, whether Atiku or any other aspirant, will emerge through a transparent and credible process,” Abdullahi stated, reaffirming that the ADC is not the personal platform of any individual.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday scheduled a date for judgment in a case brought by the Civil Society Observatory for Constitutional and Legal Compliance, CSOCLC, challenging President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State last year.
Justice James Omotosho set Friday, March 9, 2026 for judgment after both the plaintiff’s counsel, Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, and the defence lawyers adopted their processes and presented arguments supporting and opposing the suit.
In the fresh lawsuit, CSOCLC questioned the President’s authority to remove elected state officials during a state of emergency.
The NGO argued that while the President may declare an emergency under Section 305 of the Constitution, he does not have the power to suspend or remove elected executive or legislative officers and appoint an interim administrator.
Justice Omotosho, however, highlighted the similarity of the case to previous ones he had dismissed, citing jurisdictional issues under the old Emergency Powers (Jurisdiction) Act of 1962.
He also referenced a Supreme Court decision from December 15, 2025, which dismissed a related case on procedural grounds.
Acknowledging these earlier rulings, Ahaaiwe insisted they were mistaken.
The lawyer argued that the 1962 Act is a “spent” law, deliberately omitted from statute books before the 1999 Constitution came into effect.
He further contended that a 2025 presidential order modifying the alleged non-existent law is “unconstitutional, null, and void”.
“The constitution has fully covered the field on emergency powers. No executive proclamation can alter the express provisions of Section 305,” he added.
Lawyers representing the 1st to 5th defendants, including the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation, relied on the same 1962 Act and the modification order.
They argued that only the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over such disputes and urged the court to strike out the case.
The plaintiffs had requested 26 reliefs, including a declaration that Rivers State cannot be governed by an appointed administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, outside the constitutional provisions.
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