Activist Who Exposed Alleged ₦2.5 Million Blackmail Plot Against Senator Natasha Missing Three Weeks After Arrest, Family Raises Alarm

The family of media activist and whistleblower Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike has voiced deep concern over his continued detention and the lack of communication from him three weeks after he was arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force. Akuwudike, a journalist based in Owerri, Imo State, was taken into custody shortly after granting a viral interview to investigative journalist Adeola Fayehun on YouTube.

His arrest is believed to be linked to his public claims during the interview, where he alleged that he was paid ₦2.5 million by Sandra Duru, popularly known as Prof Mgbeke, to produce defamatory content against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Akuwudike claimed Duru was acting under the directive and sponsorship of Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. He stated that he withdrew from the assignment after realizing it was a politically motivated smear campaign.

In an emotional video obtained by SaharaReporters, Akuwudike’s wife recounted the family’s distress. “I have not spoken with him for three weeks. They came and took him away. I haven’t heard from him, and I don’t know his condition,” she said. She added that repeated appeals to the Imo State Commissioner of Police have yielded no results. “His children cry every day. His father is sick and wants to see him. He is the first son of the family and no one knows what is happening to him,” she said, revealing that the family believes he was taken to Abuja.

A lawyer representing Akuwudike confirmed to Sahara Reporters that he was arrested in the early hours of the day in Owerri. Sources familiar with the case assert that his detention was ordered by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

In the interview that led to his arrest, Akuwudike expressed regret over participating in the smear campaign and described the information he had been given as entirely false. “Everything she said about Natasha was fabricated lies,” he said. “After the livestream and everything I started uncovering, I knew I had to come clean.”

Meanwhile, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently facing criminal defamation charges initiated by the Nigerian government. The case stems from her statements during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025, where she accused Senate President Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her. Filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the suit names the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant, citing Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code. Akpabio and Bello are listed as witnesses.

Senator Natasha has stood by her claims, stating during the interview, “I do stand by what I said. In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me.”