Lawyers petition DSS DG over whereabouts of 3 union leaders in Bonny as planned protest turned sour

The whereabouts of three union leaders working in Daewoo in Bonny Island are unknown after 24 hours of arrest. Lawyers to the union have fired a petition to the Director-General (DG) of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) demanding access to the arrested leaders.

The petition was fired by Marx Ikongheh of Everlaw Chambers dated January 23, 2026 and received same day with stamp as evidence.

The lawyers said they were looking for Harold Benstowe (President-General of the National Association of Plants Operators, NAPO), alongside two of his members, Tuwonimi Benstowe and Michael Mbata.

The petition stated that more than 24 hours after heavily armed operatives believed to come from the DSS whisked away the President-General and his team, their whereabouts have remained unknown.

Ikongbeh, counsel to NAPO, explained to newsmen Saturday, January 24, 2026, that the arrest and detention of Benstowe and the two others by the DSS amounted to contempt of court.

In a letter to the DG (Tosin Ajayi), the counsel to NAPO demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Benstowe and his members, urging the DG to call his Rivers State Command to order.

“The action in light of the pending Court case is contemptuous of the authority of the Court.”

“In light of the above, we call on you to use your good offices to immediately intervene and call the Rivers State Command to order and direct them to immediately release our clients.”

The NAPO counsel drew the attention of the DSS boss to a pending suit (Suit No.: NICN/ABJ/165/2024) at the National Industrial Court between NAPO and the Minister of Labour and Employment where the DSS is a party, viz: The Incorporated Trustees of National Association of Plant Operators (NAPO) and three others versus Hon. Minister of Labour & Employment & two others.

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The petition stated thus: “We are solicitors to the National Association of Plants Operators – NAPO (our “client”). Our client is a recognized Trade Union duly approved for registration by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment. You will recollect that our client is currently in Court in respect of the above listed matter where the DSS is listed as the 11th Party-Sought-to-be-Joined and has even filed a counter-affidavit.”

The NAPO lawyer stated that the Rivers State Command of the DSS, when contacted, denied having Benstowe and his members in their custody despite arresting him in full view of the public and media. He accused the Command of denying the labour union leader and his members access to their families, lawyers, and doctors.

“Lawyers from our chambers went to the Rivers State Command, but they were denied access to our clients. As it stands the family members of our client’s do not know their whereabouts if not that their arrest was covered by pressmen who published it.”

He wrote: “Your organization as a creature of law ought to know that under the constitutional protection granted to every citizen, arrest, detention and denial of access to lawyers is unlawful and a gross violation of the constitution.”

The petition went on: “It is even worse when such action is carried out against workers who are exercising their labour union rights. We know that your administration is working hard to clean up the image of the DSS and we submit that this incident might become a dent and an irremovable blot on your good efforts.”

BusinessDay gathered that a media team on ground at the Finima Police Station witnessed how Nigeria’s secret police arrested Harold Benstowe, Tuwonimi Benstowe, and Michael Mbata in a gestapo style with their legs chained together. They zoomed off to Port Harcourt in two Hilux vans in which they came for the operation.

The source said the DSS has remained mute on the incident, just as efforts by newsmen to get its reaction to NAPO’s allegations were yet unsuccessful as it did not respond to enquiries sent to its headquarters via email and WhatsApp.

The arrests are said to be one in series of many other arrests over unionization and right to strike in Daewoo section of the Train 7 in Bonny. It was further gathered that since the crisis started in 2022, most of the new workers have been asked to sign undertaking not to belong to the unions. Despite signing, the workers said they strangely found out that their salaries were being deducted at source and sent to two unions created by management.

The workers allegedly responded by joining a trade union of their own choice, NAPO, an action that was said to have angered Daewoo. The workers then began to make several demands, one of which was their tax certificates or refund of all the deductions of three years.

This stance is said to have annoyed Daewoo in the past three years, but strangely, security agencies seem to sympathise with Daewoo more than with NAPO. The leaders are said to have faced series of prosecution including arrests and torture.