The arrest of the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr Ben Smith, after he reportedly went to seek the release of another detained coordinator has escalated a confrontation between the movement and the Akwa Ibom State Police Command.
Smith was reportedly taken into custody at Ikot Akpan Abia after accompanying supporters to facilitate the release of Elijah Noah, the state coordinator of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, who had been arrested during a planned Independence Day march in Uyo.
The development has now triggered a fresh demand by the Obidient Movement for the immediate release of both coordinators and other detained members, with the group threatening wider protests if the arrests and alleged harassment continue.
The confrontation followed the police command’s last-minute directive stopping political rallies, meetings and processions scheduled for October 1 across Akwa Ibom State.
The command said it acted on intelligence indicating that some individuals could exploit political gatherings to cause disturbances and threaten public peace. It also said organisers had been advised to reschedule the planned march.
The planned procession was a “Two Million-Man March” organised by supporters of NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Before the arrests, Smith had publicly questioned the cancellation, saying the organisers had invested more than N20m in mobilisation, branding and logistics across the state’s 31 local government areas.
The Obidient Movement, however, has rejected the police action, describing the arrests as an attempt to suppress lawful political expression.
In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Directorate, Onyeka Dike, the movement demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Smith, Noah and other detained members.
It accused the police of intimidation and harassment and said the arrests represented an attack on citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and political expression.
The movement also warned that continued arrests could lead to wider protests across the country.
“If the authorities continue to ignore our demands and use the police to intimidate peaceful citizens, we will have no choice but to mobilise our members and supporters for wider protests around the country,” it said.
The police, however, have maintained that the issue was not the political identity of the organisers but compliance with the security directive.
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, said organisers had attended a meeting with the command and were advised to reschedule the event because of concerns over possible clashes and public safety.
The command also said eight people were arrested and denied reports that firearms were discharged during the operation.
The dispute has consequently shifted from the cancelled march to a broader confrontation over the limits of police powers in regulating political gatherings and the rights of opposition supporters to assemble peacefully.
The Obidient Movement said the authorities must act immediately to release those detained and prevent the situation from escalating.
The arrest of Smith has turned what began as a dispute over one cancelled political procession into a wider test of how political mobilisation and public-order policing will be handled ahead of the 2027 elections.