By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Managing Director of the service provider engaged for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election has reportedly been abducted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, according to former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu.

The allegation was contained in a statement posted on X by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and amplified by the Good Governance Group (GGG). Odinkalu alleged that “at the instigation of elements sympathetic to a certain candidate of particular concern, persons suspected to be agents of the DSS have reportedly abducted the Managing Director of the service provider for the NBA elections at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on his way to Abuja.” He further claimed that the operatives “also reportedly confiscated his laptop and phones and presently have him in their custody.”

According to Odinkalu, the reported incident raises concerns about the credibility of the NBA presidential election, particularly as the Department of State Services (DSS) had reportedly indicated its readiness to observe the voting and ballot collation process.

He said the agency had reportedly confirmed in writing that it would monitor the election, but questioned the alleged actions against the service provider, stating that “it is difficult to see how they can both disable ballot administration and observe balloting at the same time.”

Odinkalu alleged that the reported development was aimed at frustrating the electoral process and circumventing judicial decisions.

According to him, “the design, clearly, is to frustrate #NBADecides2026 and bring about manu militari what the courts have told them they cannot do.”

He also criticised unnamed political actors, alleging contradictions in their public posture.

“The same people using APC-controlled methods and institutions are busy claiming other candidates are fronts for the APC. Someone please make it make sense,” he said.

Neither the Department of State Services nor the Nigerian Bar Association had issued an official response to the allegations as of the time of filing this report. The claims made by Odinkalu could not be independently verified.