Repeated attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful, as both of his known lines were switched off.
Human rights activist and social media commentator, Chuks Eric (@ChuksEricE), has reportedly been arrested and moved to Abuja following a petition allegedly written by Senator Ned Nwoko, over claims linking him to a viral TikTok video made by someone else, accusing the senator of attempting to kill his estranged wife, Regina Daniels.
A family member who spoke with SaharaReporters on Sunday said Chuks was lured out of his residence on Friday night after receiving a phone call accusing him of stealing aluminium windows.
“Someone called him last night and accused him of stealing aluminium windows. When he got there, they arrested him and took him to a police station,” the family source said.
According to the family, investigators later established that Chuks was not responsible for the alleged theft and was also not the originator of the social media post in question.
“They later found out that he wasn’t the one who made the post; that he only reposted someone else’s content,” the source added, suggesting the arrest was connected to a social media publication.
The family further alleged that the arrest stemmed from a petition written by a serving senator, reportedly originating from Abuja.
“He was petitioned by a senator, and the petition came from Abuja,” the source claimed.
Despite reportedly establishing that Chuks did not originate the viral content, the operatives allegedly released him later that night but instructed him to accompany them to Abuja the following day.
“They released him that night and told him to follow them the next day, which is today, to Abuja,” the source said.
However, as of Sunday afternoon, Chuks’ whereabouts remained unknown.
“We don’t know his whereabouts now. No one has heard from him yet,” the source told SaharaReporters, adding that his family and lawyers had not been granted access to him.
Concerns deepened after a close associate disclosed that Chuks reached out late Saturday night requesting the phone number of a prominent lawyer.
Although the message was seen, a response was not sent until Sunday morning. After the lawyer’s contact was forwarded, Chuks reportedly failed to respond.
This was described as highly unusual for the outspoken activist.
Repeated attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful, as both of his known lines were switched off.
A check on his X (formerly Twitter) account showed that his last post on X was made over 20 hours earlier.
The associate later contacted Chuks’ sister, who confirmed that a petition had indeed been written against him by Senator Ned Nwoko. She said the petition was linked to a viral TikTok video in which a young man alleged that he was hired by the senator to kill his wife.
According to her, the petition falsely claimed that Chuks Eric was the individual featured in the video, despite what she described as clear and obvious differences between both persons.
The development has triggered outrage on social media, with activists and users condemning what they described as wrongful targeting and abuse of power.
Several users pointed out that the TikTok content creator behind the video, known as @liaroftiktok, is a different individual entirely and has since been seen online apologising to Senator Nwoko over the claims made in the video.
“This clearly shows that liaroftiktok is not Chuks Eric. They are two entirely different individuals,” an associate said, questioning why Chuks would be singled out for arrest for merely sharing a video that had already been circulated by multiple blogs and platforms.
Activists have called on the Nigeria Police Force to act with professionalism and transparency.
“We urge the police to carefully compare the individual in the video with Chuks Eric and to carry out their duties with diligence, fairness, and respect for due process,” the associate said.
Also, on Sunday, human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, disclosed that Chuks left him a “distressing” message.
“I just noticed that @ChuksEricE left a distressing message for me last night,” he posted on X.
“I have seen posts stating that he has been arrested by the police over a petition by a serial petitioner, Senator Ned Nwoko.”
“Anyone with information regarding where he is being detained should contact me,” he added.
In a viral message reportedly sent by Chuks before his arrest, he said, “I’m in serious trouble ooo.
“Ned Nwoko petitioned me over that post I made of that young man who claimed Ned Nwoko gave him money to go after Regina Daniels.”