Investigative journalist Tega Oghenedoro, popularly known as Fejiro Oliver, walked out of prison today after spending two harrowing months behind bars on charges his lawyers insist were fabricated to silence him.
“Yes, I am out and on my way back to base,” Mr Oghenedoro told Peoples Gazette shortly after his freedom, suggesting he was on his way to Abuja, where he was seized by armed men loyal to Mr Sheriff before being transported on a private plane south to Delta.
Mr Oghenedoro had fulfilled his bail conditions weeks ago, according to court filings and statements from his legal team; however, prison officials failed to release him.
The Gazette heard that the police repeatedly refused to verify Mr Oghenedoro’s sureties for over two weeks until a frustrated federal judge issued an express order for them to do so within hours today, leading to his prompt release from custody.
The police’s tardiness was part of a scheme to punish the journalist for as long as possible on behalf of the governor, a source told The Gazette. The police did not immediately return a request seeking comments about whether or not they botched Mr Oghenedoro’s bond papers for two weeks after a judge granted him bail.
He is expected to return to court on December 4, 2025, when the trial in the purported defamation charges is expected to commence.
Those familiar with the case said his detention lingered because of “standing instructions from above”, pointing directly to the influence of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, in whose state, Delta, the case originated.
Mr Oghenedoro’s troubles began after he published a series of publications that were critical of Mr Oborevworiand other prominent figures, including Stella Okotete, a former NEXIM Bank executive, Senators Ede Dafinone and Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, all of whom are strong political figures in Delta.
The politicians denied wrongdoing, but insiders said the fallout from those reports contributed to his arrest and incarceration.
The journalist was arrested and charged in circumstances his lawyers described as “a textbook case of state powerdeployed to intimidate a critic”.
Despite meeting the bail conditions set by the court earlier, including providing sureties and completing all required documentation, prison authorities repeatedly stalled his release due to the commissioner for lands’ refusal to verify the land documents submitted as part of the bail requirements.
Sources told Peoples Gazette that the commissioner was working on Mr Oborevwori’s order.
For weeks, family members shuttled between the court registry, prison officials, the ministry of lands, and his lawyers, only to be told that “clearance had not come”.
Today’s release came only after Mr Oborevwori reportedly gave a direct order for Mr Oghenedoro to be freed, ending the prolonged stalemate that had kept him in custody despite a valid court order granting him bail.
