Asaba, Delta – In a significant development for press freedom in Nigeria, the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba has granted bail to investigative journalist Tega Oghenedoro, popularly known as Fejiro Oliver, in the sum of N15 million, with two sureties in like sum.

The ruling comes nearly a month after Oliver's dramatic arrest in Abuja, which rights groups and his legal team have alleged was orchestrated by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in retaliation for critical social media posts.

The Federal High Court, Asaba Division, approved the bail application during Thursday's proceedings, allowing the Delta-born reporter—editor of the online platform Secret Reporters—to be released pending trial on two amended counts of cyberstalking under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2024.

Oliver, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, had spent over three weeks in detention, including nearly two weeks at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Asaba and subsequent remand at the Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre.

The charges stem from Facebook publications between May and July 2025, where Oliver allegedly posted content deemed defamatory and inciting.

Prosecutors accused him of describing Governor Oborevwori as the "sleeping governor who rigged election" and alleging the governor awarded billion-naira contracts to allies for electoral malfeasance—posts prosecutors claimed were intended to incite unrest and harm the governor's reputation.

Similar allegations targeted Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), whom Oliver reportedly labeled a "sleeping senator," "grossly incompetent," "POS Senator," and "scammer in NASS," while calling for his recall and accusing him of hiding constituency projects like school buses and transformers.

The amended charges, filed by the Inspector General of Police, invoke Section 24(1)(b) of the cybercrimes law, punishable by up to three years imprisonment.

Oliver's arrest on September 18, 2025, unfolded like a scene from a thriller: Operatives from the Nigeria Police Force's Intelligence Department raided his Garki, Abuja office, bundled him into custody, and—according to multiple reports—ferried him to Asaba aboard a private jet linked to the Delta State Government House.

He was held incommunicado for days, denied access to lawyers and family, prompting swift legal action from his counsel, human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong of Inibehe Effiong Chambers, Abuja.

Effiong, who has vociferously decried the case as "frivolous and a desperate bid to silence dissent," filed an ex parte application on October 3, securing a 48-hour court order for police to justify the detention or release Oliver unconditionally.

Justice F.A. Olubanjo, in that earlier ruling, summoned key police officials—including Delta Commissioner of Police Olufemi Abaniwonda and Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun—to explain the hold. Despite this, Oliver was arraigned on October 9, remanded, and his initial bail hearing adjourned to Thursday.

In a parallel fundamental rights suit, Oliver is seeking N1 billion in damages from Governor Oborevwori, Senator Dafinone, Nigerian Export-Import Bank Executive Director Stella Okotete, and several police officers for alleged violations of his rights to liberty, dignity, and freedom of expression under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The suit, adjourned to November 4, accuses the respondents of unlawful arrest, torture, and extrajudicial actions. Effiong told reporters outside the courtroom that the bail grant is a "partial victory for justice," but warned of potential police maneuvers to re-arrest his client on "bogus additional charges" as reported earlier this month.

Governor Oborevwori has denied any role in the arrest or prosecution, with his media aide, Sir Joel Chukwuelobe, issuing a statement on October 14 refuting claims of gubernatorial involvement and dismissing Oliver's affidavit allegations as "untrue."

The governor's office maintained that the matter is a police-led investigation into alleged cyber offenses, not political persecution.

The case has ignited widespread outrage from media advocacy groups. The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria condemned the arrest as an "abuse of power" stifling investigative journalism, while the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) called for the charges' dismissal, arguing they criminalize legitimate criticism.

Civil society voices, including Amnesty International Nigeria, have highlighted Oliver's history of exposing corruption in Delta State—from election irregularities to contract scams—positioning the saga as emblematic of broader threats to Nigeria's fragile press freedom, ranked 112th on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index.

As Oliver awaits perfection of bail—expected imminently—his legal team vows to pursue the fundamental rights case aggressively.

"This is not just about Fejiro; it's about every journalist daring to hold power accountable," Effiong declared.

The trial resumption is slated for November, but with whispers of further police action lingering, the spotlight remains firmly on Delta's corridors of power.