Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Kogi State Security Adviser Jerry Omodara has said University of Ilorin lecturer Olorunsuwa Ola was arrested after failing to honour a police invitation over his social media comments about a road reconstruction project in the state.
Omodara made the clarification in an interview published by Punch on Sunday, October 11, 2026, while responding to allegations that the lecturer was abducted and forced to retract his comments about the Kabba–Oke-Offin–Olle–Iluke road project.
The controversy began after Ola reportedly questioned the Kogi State Government’s account of the project’s funding in a community WhatsApp group, claiming that it was sponsored by the World Bank rather than the state government.
Omodara said he petitioned the police on September 11, asking the lecturer to provide documents supporting his claim. He maintained that the state government was responsible for the project and said he initially asked Ola to withdraw the post or produce evidence to substantiate it.
According to the security adviser, the police formally invited the lecturer, but he failed to honour the invitation, prompting his arrest on September 16.
Ola, however, gave a different account of the incident. He said about eight police officers arrived at his residence in Ilorin, Kwara State, and took him to Lokoja, Kogi State, without presenting an arrest warrant despite his request.
The lecturer also alleged that he was pressured to write a retraction and apology as a condition for his release.
Omodara denied ordering the police to force an apology, insisting that his petition sought evidence to support the lecturer’s claim about the road project. He said Ola later wrote an apology and retraction and was released afterward.
The security adviser maintained that the matter was not a personal dispute and argued that public criticism of government was permissible, provided claims were supported by facts. He urged the lecturer to seek legal redress if he believed his arrest was unlawful or that he had been compelled to apologise.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the handling of complaints arising from social media publications and the protection of citizens’ rights when they criticise public officials.
As of the time of the reports, no court ruling establishing the legality of the arrest or determining the lecturer’s allegations of coercion had been reported.
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