Nigeria: Amnesty Int'l, Serap Demand Release of Detained Fij Journalist

What the report says

Amnesty International Nigeria and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) are calling for the release of Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Daniel Ojukwu, who was remanded at the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja after appearing in court on cyberstalking and criminal defamation charges. The case, reported by Daily Trust and distributed by AllAfrica, is tied to FIJ stories published in 2023 and early 2024 about spending in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the report, Ojukwu and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo face a 12-count charge brought by the Nigeria Police Force over four articles concerning Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a former presidential aide and former Lagos State deputy governor. Ojukwu pleaded not guilty, and the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered him held until December 1, when his bail application is due to be heard. The prosecution also sought a bench warrant for Soyombo, whom it said was not in court, but the judge did not grant that request.

Amnesty said the prosecution raises concerns about the treatment of journalists investigating alleged corruption, while SERAP urged President Bola Tinubu and Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi to stop using criminal defamation and cyberstalking provisions against reporters doing their work. The groups argued that questions raised by the FIJ reports should be addressed through disclosure and explanation by officials, not imprisonment. More broadly, the case has renewed attention on press freedom in Nigeria and the use of criminal law in disputes over investigative reporting.