The Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei Campaign Council has condemned the alleged abduction and continued detention of Mr. Sochi Churchill Okolo, a member of the council and former senior media aide to the Executive Chairman of Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 7, 2026, the council described Okolo’s arrest and continued detention as politically motivated, alleging that the matter stemmed from a dispute over ownership and control of a Facebook page previously used for the chairman’s official communication.
According to the council, Okolo created the Facebook page using his personal email address and telephone number and subsequently allowed the chairman’s office to use it for official publicity.
The council said that when Okolo resigned from his position several months ago, he handed over all official accounts and communication channels belonging to the chairman’s office. It added that Okolo informed the office that the Facebook page could not be transferred because it was linked to his personal details and requested that official materials be removed from it.
The council alleged that the office agreed to remove the materials within a week but failed to do so more than a month later.
The statement further alleged that police officers from the Issele-Uku Division arrived at Okolo’s residence between 10pm and 11pm and took him into custody without a prior invitation or notice. It said he was initially taken to the Issele-Uku police headquarters before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Asaba.
The campaign council claimed that efforts to secure Okolo’s release on bail were progressing before the intervention of the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, who, according to the council, visited the police station with a police officer identified as Mr. Disu.
The council alleged that following the visit, police informed its representatives that the state government had become interested in the matter and that the Facebook dispute would be taken to court.
The campaign council also alleged that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, whom it identified as the APC senatorial candidate for Delta North, was behind the continued detention. The statement, however, did not provide independent evidence to substantiate the allegation.
The council accused the police of allowing themselves to be used for political purposes and expressed concern over what it described as the prolonged detention of an opposition supporter.
It further alleged that attempts to secure Okolo’s release on administrative bail had been frustrated, arguing that the police had effectively assumed the roles of complainant, prosecutor and judge in the matter.
The council called for Okolo’s immediate and unconditional release, insisting that the dispute over the Facebook page did not justify his continued detention.
“This Council will not be intimidated, and our supporters will not be silenced,” the statement said.
The council also appealed to the Nigeria Police Force to uphold the rule of law and ensure that Okolo’s fundamental rights are protected.
The statement ended with a renewed demand for his release under the slogan: “Justice for Sochi Okolo! #FreeSochiOkolo.”
The allegations contained in the campaign council’s statement could not be independently verified from the information available in the statement. Responses from the Nigeria Police Force, the Delta State Government, the Aniocha North Local Government Chairman and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa would be necessary to establish their respective positions on the matter.