Concerns as Nigerian Court Orders Journalist Daniel Ojukwu Remanded in Abuja Prison Over Report
- A Nigerian court remanded investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu in Kuje prison on a 12-count charge under the country's cybercrime law
- Ojukwu's arrest centres on a report he published about alleged financial mismanagement involving a senior government official
- Amnesty International condemned the detention, raising concerns about press freedom and the use of courts to silence journalists in Nigeria
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FCT, Abuja - A decision by a court in Nigeria to keep an investigative journalist in custody has sparked widespread outrage, renewing concerns about media freedom in the country.
Daniel Ojukwu, with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), an investigative media house, was jailed on a 12-count charge for allegedly violating the country’s cybercrime act, pending a bail hearing. The court's decision was issued on Tuesday, November 10.
Source: AFP
Ojukwu was arraigned over reports he published about Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs). Presently, Orelope-Adefulire is President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals.
The law has long been seen as a tool to censor journalists in Nigeria, where journalists are exposed to political persecution over reports.
Nigeria is ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (only improving by 10 places since 2025).
At least 29 journalists have faced prosecution under Nigeria’s cybercrimes law since it was enacted in 2015, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report in October 2024.
Journalist Ojukwu faces fresh legal trouble
Ojukwu was arrested for a report on the alleged financial mismanagement of more than 147 million naira ($109,000) involving a senior government official, according to the charge sheet seen by The Associated Press. The case was filed by the office of the Inspector-General of Police.
In 2024, Ojukwu was secretly detained in Lagos and later found in Abuja after being missing for several days over the same report. He was released following a public outcry and pressure from human rights groups.
“If you have seen the copy of the charge, it was filed in September 2024. FIJ was not aware of that until recently when he was detained,” Abimbola Ojenike, one of Ojukwu’s lawyers, told the AP on Wednesday, November 11.
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Ojukwu remains in prison until December 1
Amnesty International condemned the arrest, saying Wednesday that the detention “raises serious concerns about the use of judicial processes to intimidate journalists and undermine the right to freedom of expression and media freedom in Nigeria.”
The court scheduled the reporter’s bail hearing for December 1, meaning that he will remain in Kuje prison in the country’s capital until then.
Read an X post below by a development sector expert expressing concern over Daniel Ojukwu’s remand in Kuje Prison:
Read more on media freedom concerns in Nigeria
- Buhari claims there is media freedom in Nigeria, says citizens can express themselves freely
- Atiku accuses Buhari government of stifling press freedom as Saraki praises journalists
DSS arrests journalist Soyinka in Lagos
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested a prominent journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka.
Soyinka, who is the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
A distress message from one of his friends stated that Soyinka was picked up shortly after arriving from the United Kingdom (UK).
Source: Legit.ng
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Ridwan Adeola Yusuf (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content writer with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.
