Four policemen on mufti at about noon on Thursday stormed the Abuja office of journalist Tega Oghenedoro popularly known as Fejiro Oliver, in an attempt to abduct him, Peoples Gazette learnt.

The policemen identified themselves as officers from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), a department of the Nigeria Police Force led by Jonathan Towuru — a Deputy Inspector General of Police.

Residents told The Gazette that the policemen who were dressed in mufti, claimed that they had a court warrant to arrest the journalist.

“But the arrest warrant wasn’t shown to us or the estate’s security guards,“ a resident told our correspondent.

Another resident noted that the policemen left the estate after confirming that Mr Oliver’s vehicle was not parked in his garage.

“They told the security guards that they came to arrest Mr Oliver. But when they didn’t find his car at the usual spot, their leader asked them to leave because it meant that he was not around,” a resident said.

The resident quoted one of the policemen, “We will keep trailing him until we catch him.”

Contacted on the phone over the development, Mr Oliver said he was scared for his life.

He said, “This is a witch-hunt, and I fear for my life.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from our correspondent on Thursday when he was contacted on the phone.

Mr Oliver was at the Federal High Court, Asaba Division, Delta State, on Thursday over two cases of defamation brought against him by the police on behalf of the state governor—Sheriff Oborevwori and Senator Ede Dafinone before the same judge.

Mr Oliver was also in court in Delta State on Wednesday, where he appeared before magistrate Patricia Onyeisi Okoh over a defamation suit filed against him by Stella Okotete, a politiciaun whose ministerial nomination was rejected by the Senate following petitions of alleged certificate forgery brought against her by a group of lawyers.

A former Attorney-General of the state, Peter Mrakpor (SAN), appeared in court in solidarity with the journalist.

During proceedings, his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, presented a motion before the court, asking it to consolidate Ms Okotete’s defamation case in court 2 with that of a lawmaker, Joel Thomas Onowakpor, in court 3, considering that both cases bordered on defamation.

Ms Okoh adjourned the hearing for the motion in court 2 to December 9, 2025. Mr Oliver is expected to appear before court 3 within the same magistrate court on December 9 for a similar case brought against him by Mr Onowakpor.

Mr Oliver was abducted by policemen from his office in Abuja in September, and flown to Delta State on the order of Mr Oborevwori. Following his abduction, he was detained at a police facility for weeks before he was later arraigned in court and remanded in prison following pressure from civil society organisations.

He was later released from prison after he met his bail conditions.