Secrets Reporters
Information reaching SecretsReporters from a credible source has revealed that a senior reporter with SecretsReporters, Stanley Ugagbe, has been detained by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday, July 13, 2026, less than a week after regaining his freedom, with plans to arraign him before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, on the orders of Emem Usoro, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor in charge of Operations.
The latest development is coming after the Nigerian police deceived Stanley to come and pick up his official laptop and phones today, which they took from him during the abduction, only to detain him to secretly plan to charge him before the FHC tomorrow on false claims of espionage on the Nigerian government and cyberbullying on the order of Emem Usoro. Police sources say they are under pressure from the National Security Adviser (NSA) office even when they have no reason to arrest in the first place, let alone charge to court. Emem Usoro is unhappy about reports filed by the medium, which revealed “Exclusive: CBN Deputy Governor Emem Nnana Usoro Hides N1.4 Billion California Luxury Condo in Asset Declaration Scandal – Part 1”; “EXCLUSIVE: CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Linked to N3.6bn Los Angeles Property Amid Questions Over Asset Declaration Compliance (Part 2)” and “Against Nigerian Law, CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Allows Her Eleven Years Old Twin Daughters To Be Company Boss”
According to our police sources, the only thing they found on Stanley’s laptop are reports filed in by him and occasional freelance work he sends to a female Nigerian publisher based in Canada, who appreciates him with few dollars as a thank-you gift.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement confirming the reasons for the fresh detention or the nature of any charges expected to be filed before the court.
Recall that Ugagbe’s ordeal began on July 1, 2026, when armed men reportedly abducted him on his way home from work. The operatives confiscated his mobile phones and laptop before taking him away in an unmarked vehicle. For several days, neither his family nor his employer knew his whereabouts.
His disappearance sparked widespread condemnation from media organizations, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), which demanded that security agencies disclose his whereabouts, grant him access to his family and legal representatives, and either charge him before a competent court or release him.
International organizations also reacted. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Nigerian authorities to investigate his disappearance and ensure his immediate safety, while the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) intervened in efforts that eventually led to his release from police custody.
Following his release on July 6, Ugagbe was granted bail while police reportedly continued investigating allegations, including espionage, cyberstalking, and other computer-related offenses.
The latest detention on July 13 has now raised fresh questions over the handling of the case, particularly amid claims by those close to the journalist that he was invited by the police before being detained again ahead of a planned court appearance.
Calls placed to the police spokesperson were unanswered