The President General of the National Association of Plants Operators (NAPO), Harold Benstowe has been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The arrest took place on Friday, January 23, 2026 at about 11am at the Finima Police Station, Finima in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The NAPO President was picked up alongside two of his members, Tuwonimi Benstowe and Michael Mbata, by heavily armed operatives of the DSS, who arrived Bonny from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital in two Hilux vans.
Kristina Reports reliably learnt that Benstowe had gone to the Finima Police Station to make an entry over the alleged assault on some NAPO members during their protest at the H Block entrance of the Train 7 project site in the early hours of Friday.
Shortly after the Police took his statement alongside other of his members, the DSS operatives arrived and chained him on the leg with Tuwonimi Benstowe, and shoved them along with Michael Mbata into their vehicles and drove off.
It was unclear what offence he was being arrested for as Kristina Reports team on ground at the Finima Police Station did not sight any arrest warrant by the DSS operatives.
NAPO had over the years been agitating for the labour rights of its members, who, among other things, alleged that taxes being deducted from their salaries on the Train 7 project were not remitted to the appropriate authorities.
Efforts by Kristina Reports to get clarification from the DSS on the reason for the arrest was yet unsuccessful as enquiries to the Service mobile number via WhatsApp was yet unreplied as at the time of this report.
Kristina Reports will continue to provide ongoing updates on the industrial crisis brewing between NAPO and the Train 7 project implementers, Daewoo Construction and Engineering Nigeria Limited (DECN) and Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited.