The Delta State Police Command has filed criminal charges against investigative journalist Oghenedoro Tega, popularly known as Fejiro Oliver, for allegedly “cyberstalking” Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Senator Ede Dafinone.

According to court filings from the Delta Division of the Federal High Court, the police accused Mr Oliver, the publisher of Secret Reporters, of using his Facebook account to publish posts aimed at “destroying the reputation” of the governor and the senator.

The charge sheet, dated October 3, 2025, and signed by R.O. Eze, legal officer, Directorate of Legal Services, Delta State Police Command, alleged that the posts violated Section 24(2)(c)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.

In the first count, the police claimed that “between the months of August and July, 2025, in Asaba within the Asaba Judicial Division,” Mr Oliver made publications on his Facebook account “cyberstalking His Excellency Sheriff Oborevwori, the Governor of Delta State.”

The charge cited several posts, including one in which the journalist allegedly wrote that “the governor travelled to Brazil without the people knowing and making it ‘Hush-Hush’,” and another accusing Mr Oborevwori of “giving contracts to his boys worth billions of naira for rigging the election.”

Mr Oliver was further accused of stating that “the governor is a sleeping governor who rigged the election” and that “the governor sent government officials to China, spending millions of dollars only to go and inspect CNG buses instead of attracting investors.”

The police said those statements were intended “to destroy the reputation” of Mr Oborevwori.

In a separate count, the journalist was also charged with cyberstalking Mr Dafinone, who represents the Delta Central Senatorial District.

The police alleged that between May and July 2025, Mr Oliver published posts on Facebook describing Mr Dafinone as a “grossly incompetent senator,” “sleeping senator,” “betraying ingrate,” “Dodo senator,” “PoS senator,” and “scammer in NASS,” and stating that “Senator Ede Dafinone must be recalled from the Senate.”

The police stated that the comments were also intended to harm the senator’s reputation, in violation of the cybercrime law.

The charges were filed amid growing criticism over the journalist’s continued detention and what press freedom advocates have described as a weaponisation of Nigeria’s cybercrime laws to silence government critics.

Peoples Gazette earlier reported that Mr Oliver was abducted from his office in Abuja on September 18 and flown to Asaba aboard a private jet linked to Mr Oborevwori. He has been held at the Delta State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for over two weeks without trial, access to his family, or contact with his lawyers.

On October 2, the court ordered the Nigeria Police Force to, within 48 hours, explain why the state-born journalist should not be released after spending 16 days in unlawful detention.

The order was issued by Justice F. A. Olubanjo, following an ex parte application filed by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who is representing the journalist.

Mr Effiong described the new charges as “frivolous and a desperate attempt to legitimise an illegal detention.”

“These charges were rushed to court to create the impression that there is a case, when in fact there is none,” Mr Effiong told Peoples Gazette on Saturday.

“Fejiro’s only offence is criticising those in power. The cybercrime law is being weaponised to intimidate journalists who hold governors and politicians accountable.”

The Delta governor, Senator Dafinone, and the police have yet to publicly comment on the case.

Mr Oliver is expected to be arraigned before the Delta State High Court in Asaba in the coming days.

The case adds to mounting concerns over the use of the Cybercrime Act, which critics say has become a tool to harass journalists and silence dissenting voices across Nigeria.