Court Orders Remand Of Austin Okai In Kabba Correctional Centre
Lokoja (Core Reporters) A Magistrate Court in Lokoja has ordered the remand of political activist and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, at Kabba Correctional Centre for two weeks.
The court issued the remand order after his appearance on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, it eas reported that Okai had been moved from Abuja to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, for trial.
SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday that the Department of State Services (DSS) had moved Okai, who was arrested allegedly on the directive of Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, to an unsafe location in Lokoja, the state capital.
This was disclosed on Thursday by human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on his X page.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), said the DSS had agreed to release Okai on Thursday. However, the secret police took Okai to Lokoja where his safety was not guaranteed.
He wrote, “Lawless DSS is without integrity. The dishonest agency, after promising to release Austin Okai today, secretly took him to Lokoja where his safety is not guaranteed.”
On Wednesday, a circulated video showing heavily armed security operatives taking Okai from his residence in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, earlier that morning.
Although the official reason for his arrest has not been disclosed, sources stated it was connected to his outspoken criticism of the Kogi State government.
Okai, a known opposition figure, had frequently spoken out against the administration’s policies and governance.
As tensions rise, there has been no official response from the DSS or the Kogi State Government regarding Okai’s arrest.
Meanwhile, Okai’s wife told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the DSS did not present an arrest warrant during their operation.
The Kogi Conscience Liberation Movement (KCLM) has vehemently condemned Okai’s arrest.
The group characterized it as an act of intimidation and a flagrant violation of democracy and human rights.
They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Okai by the DSS, insisting that any valid charges against him should be addressed through proper legal channels, rather than holding him in indefinite detention.
