The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has demanded the immediate release of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, who was reportedly abducted from his Abuja residence by security operatives on Wednesday, July 1. In a statement issued Saturday and signed by IPI Nigeria Secretary Ahmed Shekarau and Legal Adviser Tobi Soniyi, the body expressed deep concern over the incident, linking it to an investigative report recently published by Secret Reporters, the online platform where Ugagbe works. According to Secret Reporters publisher Fejiro Oliver, four unidentified men abducted the journalist from his home while he was returning from an official training programme, later taking him to his residence in Jikwoyi to seize his laptop and phone before removing him to an undisclosed location. Oliver alleged the operation was carried out by Nigeria Police Force officers. Efforts by Secret Reporters' legal and editorial teams to locate Ugagbe have proven unsuccessful; Oliver said searches of the former SARS facility, the FCT Police Command and Force Headquarters turned up no record of his detention, and checks at the Jikwoyi and Karu police stations similarly found no documentation of the operation. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which has also called for an investigation into the disappearance, reported that neighbors saw two armed men in a black jeep follow Ugagbe into his apartment before leaving with his laptop and phones, while Ugagbe shouted for someone to "call my office." CPJ said the journalists believe the incident is tied to a Secret Reporters investigation into corruption and infidelity allegations involving a Central Bank of Nigeria executive, for whom Ugagbe served as lead reporter; Ugagbe reportedly received a call from a man denying the allegations and asking that the story not be published shortly before his disappearance. FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh told CPJ that police were investigating but had found no record of his detention at their regional offices. IPI Nigeria said the continued criminalization of legitimate journalistic work by state security agencies undermines press freedom, violates the rule of law and damages the international standing of President Bola Tinubu's administration. The organization called on Tinubu to direct relevant security agencies to immediately produce Ugagbe, disclose the legal basis for his arrest, and grant him access to his lawyers and family, adding that if credible evidence of an offense exists, he should be promptly charged before a competent court or released without further delay. The group noted that Ugagbe's case follows a pattern of similar incidents, including the 2024 seizure of journalist Segun Olatunji by armed military officers and the secret arrest of journalist Daniel Ojukwu, who went missing for 48 hours after being detained by police.