The family of journalist and human rights advocate, Dr. Tekena Amieyeofori, is crying out for help following his arrest and detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) since March 10, 2025.

Amieyeofori, a former staff of AIT and National Secretary of the Niger Delta Youth Synergy & Co., was arrested in Abuja alongside the group’s President, Comrade Goodluck Braide. Their crime? Submitting a petition to the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, where they accused the commission of massive corruption, mismanagement of Nigeria’s gas flare commercialisation policy, and failure to properly regulate the oil sector.

Since then, the DSS has held Amieyeofori in custody without granting him access to his family, lawyer, or even medical care. His family describes the ordeal as an “abduction” and says it has thrown them into deep distress.

His elder sister, Queen Esther Charles Alikor, said, “The arrest of my brother has brought us so much pain. Many terrible things have happened at home because he’s not around. When he hears, it will break him.”

Desperate for answers, the family hired Steel Attorneys, a law firm based in Abuja, to press for his release. In a letter dated July 7, 2025, addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, the lawyers reminded the agency that under Nigeria’s Constitution and international treaties, every detainee has a right to see their lawyer and family. They urged the DSS to either charge Amieyeofori to court or release him on bail, especially as he is the family’s main provider.

Despite a follow-up letter on July 9 by human rights lawyer M.D. Abubakar — who slammed the DSS for a “pattern of unconstitutional detentions” — there was still no official response from the secret police.

After months of being shut out, the family finally got a slight relief when the DSS allowed their lawyer to meet with Amieyeofori on Tuesday. However, he remains in custody, with no word on when he might regain his freedom.

The family is now appealing to the DSS and the Nigerian government to respect the rule of law and free Amieyeofori. They believe his continued detention is nothing but an act of oppression meant to silence him for speaking up against corruption.

As the days go by, loved ones and rights groups continue to call for his immediate release, hoping justice will finally prevail.