In a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, NDC said it holds the Rivers State Police fully accountable for the killing, which it described as a blatant violation of the right to life, justice, and freedom of expression.

The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of Godswill Akpakpan, a 300-level student of the University of Port Harcourt and a committed member of the organisation by the Nigeria Police Force.

In a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, NDC said it holds the Rivers State Police fully accountable for the killing, which it described as a blatant violation of the right to life, justice, and freedom of expression.

It said, "This reprehensible act, perpetrated by the Rivers State Police, is a blatant violation of the right to life, justice, and freedom of expression. We hold the Rivers State Police, under the influence of the imposed state administrator, fully accountable for this targeted assassination."

According to the NDC, Akpakpan was a vibrant advocate for restoring the democratically elected government of Rivers State, a cause the organisation has championed relentlessly.

The group alleges that the police's attempt to deflect blame to the Nigerian Army is a poorly veiled cover-up, designed to shield the actual perpetrators and evade accountability.

It said, "The Rivers State Police claim that Godswill was abducted after the vehicle he was in was fired upon by the Nigerian Army, yet this flimsy narrative crumbles under scrutiny," the NDC said in a statement signed by National Spokesperson Mudiaga Ogboru.

"Godswill was kidnapped after leaving a football viewing centre, and his body was later discovered in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) morgue, riddled with bruises and multiple gunshot wounds to the stomach, evidence of torture and execution."

It added, "We assert that Godswill Akpakpan's killing is a deliberate outcome of the ongoing witch hunt against NDC members, orchestrated to silence dissent and crush the democratic aspirations of Rivers State's people. The police's attempt to deflect blame to the Nigerian Army is a poorly veiled cover-up, designed to shield the true perpetrators and evade accountability.

"This murder is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored violence against those who dare challenge the illegitimate authority imposed on our state."

The group, however, demanded an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into Akpakpan's abduction and murder, as well as the arrest and prosecution of all officers and agents involved.

NDC also called for the release of all unlawfully detained members and an end to the persecution of activists in Rivers State.

"The Niger Delta Congress stands in unwavering solidarity with Godswill Akpakpan's family, friends, and colleagues," Ogboru said. "We pledge to pursue justice relentlessly, ensuring his sacrifice fuels our fight for democracy."

"We call on Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to condemn this atrocity and demand accountability from the Rivers State Police and the state administrator."