A Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Kevin Okorie, and two other individuals have been detained by the Nigerian Navy for over three months, allegedly due to their support for legislation to establish a Nigerian Coast Guard.
Okorie’s wife, Esther, revealed that the detention began on September 10, 2024, when personnel from the Iwofe Aker Base in Port Harcourt first detained Jeffrey Agogoh and Udo. The men were reportedly invited to the base under the pretense of attending a meeting, after which Okorie was also called to the facility.
The detainees had been advocating for the creation of the Nigerian Coast Guard, a bill which had already progressed to its second reading and public hearing stages. Their efforts included writing letters to both the federal government and the navy regarding the proposed agency.
Esther Okorie said that after Kevin’s initial meeting on September 10, he did not return home that evening. The following day, he called her to say he was returning with naval officers, but he never arrived and became unreachable. Upon visiting the naval base on September 13, she was told that Kevin was not in custody, but later confirmed his detention after he contacted her using an officer’s phone. Despite bringing food for him, Mrs. Okorie was denied direct access to her husband.
Family sources indicated that Okorie was later transferred to Abuja, reportedly to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), though the agency has denied holding him.
The ongoing detention of Okorie and the two other men without formal charges or a court appearance raises serious concerns about due process and the treatment of civilians advocating for maritime security reform in Nigeria. The Nigerian Navy has not responded to multiple requests for comment, and efforts to contact Defence Headquarters spokesperson Brigadier General Tukur Gusau have been unsuccessful.
Mrs. Okorie has expressed distress over the situation, noting that their children have been crying and refusing to eat, asking to see their father.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of alleged violations by Nigerian security agencies, including the recent three-day detention of FIJ’s founder and editor-in-chief Fisayo Soyombo during an investigation into oil bunkering in Port Harcourt.