Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has condemned the Department of State Services (DSS) for the continued unlawful detention of Lagos-based lawyer Moses Oddiri, allegedly at the behest of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede.

• Oddiri has been held for nearly two weeks without charges and was transferred from Lagos to the DSS headquarters in Abuja.
• Sowore described the detention as a blatant abuse of power and demanded Oddiri’s immediate and unconditional release.

The detention is linked to a dispute over N4 billion (≈£2 million) community development funds belonging to the Orogun Oil Producing Community in Delta State:

• Oddiri and other community representatives petitioned the EFCC in July 2024 over missing statutory payments from Heritage Energy, which operates the community’s oil wells.
• The EFCC allegedly recovered over N4 billion for Orogun but withheld the identities of account signatories, and later attempted to misattribute funds to another community (Uherieve).
• Sources claim this led to collusion between the EFCC chairman and Heritage MD, prompting the alleged use of DSS to abduct Oddiri after he sought investigation via the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) in London.

Sowore and human rights observers view this as part of a broader pattern of state abuse and misappropriation of community funds.