Drama as UNILORIN Lecturer Is Arrested at 5am Over WhatsApp Post on Kogi Road Project
A lecturer at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Chief Elijah Ola Olorunsuwa, has been arrested by the police over a WhatsApp comment concerning the funding of a road project in Kogi State.
Olorunsuwa, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, was reportedly arrested at his residence in Ilorin, Kwara State, at about 5am on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by police officers who subsequently took him to Kogi State.
The lecturer was later released on Wednesday evening and was asked to return on Thursday, according to a report by TheCable.
What triggered the arrest?
The controversy reportedly started with a discussion on the Oke-Offin community WhatsApp group concerning the Kabba–Oke-Offin–Olle–Iluke road project in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Olorunsuwa said he commented during the discussion that the road project was World Bank-sponsored, with the state government expected to provide counterpart funding.
The claim was disputed by Jerry Omodara, Kogi State Security Adviser, who reportedly contacted the lecturer and asked him to delete the post.
According to the lecturer’s account, he initially refused but later deleted the WhatsApp comment after some elders intervened and appealed for peace.
Security adviser petitions police
Omodara subsequently petitioned the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, alleging that Olorunsuwa had made false and malicious publications concerning the state government’s road project.
In the petition dated September 11, 2026, Omodara reportedly asked the police to investigate the lecturer and require him to produce documents from the World Bank to support his claim.
The petition alleged that the publication could mislead members of the public and damage the reputation of the Kogi State Government.
Lecturer says police came at 5am
Narrating his experience, Olorunsuwa said about eight police officers arrived at his residence around 5am to arrest him.
He said he asked whether they had an arrest warrant but was not shown one.
The lecturer reportedly requested to drive his own vehicle and follow the officers to a police facility in Ilorin. He said that after arriving at an area command where no officers were available to attend to them, he eventually joined the police vehicle.
According to his account, he expected to be taken to the Kwara State Police Command but was instead transported to Kogi State.
‘Governor ordered my prosecution’ — Lecturer
Olorunsuwa further alleged that during a telephone conversation, Omodara told him that Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo had directed that he be prosecuted over the post.
That claim is the lecturer’s account and has not been independently established.
Omodara, however, told TheCable that the lecturer’s claim about the road being World Bank-funded was false and said he had asked him to retract it because, according to him, the project was being funded solely by the Kogi State Government.
UNILORIN lecturer eventually released
After spending part of the day in police custody in Kogi, Olorunsuwa was released on Wednesday evening and asked to return on Thursday.
The circumstances surrounding the arrest have attracted public attention because the lecturer was arrested in Ilorin, Kwara State, but taken to neighbouring Kogi State over a dispute arising from a social-media/WhatsApp publication.
Olorunsuwa is officially listed by UNILORIN as a lecturer in its Department of Political Science, with academic interests including comparative politics, elections, political parties, legislative governance, federalism and Nigerian politics.
What remains unclear
While the arrest and release have been reported, several aspects of the case remain disputed, including the precise legal basis for the arrest and the competing claims about the funding of the road project.
Reports alleging that the incident was connected to wider political disagreements in Kogi West have also emerged, but those claims have not been independently established and should be treated as allegations.
The immediate issue remains the disputed WhatsApp claim over who is funding the Kabba–Oke-Offin–Olle–Iluke road project, and whether the lecturer’s publication amounts to an offence under applicable law.
Credit: The Cable