Ojukwu: Release remanded journalist now!

Nigeria’s justice system is increasingly becoming an instrument of oppression. The Cybercrime Act 2015, originally enacted to combat hacking, online fraud and other cybercrimes, has been twisted into a convenient weapon for harassing, intimidating and silencing journalists and human rights activists. The continued abuse of this law is an affront to democracy and the rule of law.

In 2024, Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Daniel Ojukwu was charged with cyberstalking and criminal defamation over investigative reports involving a presidential aide and former Lagos State deputy governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

One of the reports alleged that she paid N147.1 million to a restaurant to construct classroom blocks and a skills acquisition centre at a Lagos primary school. The transaction reportedly took place barely two weeks before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in May 2023.

Former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is listed as the complainant, while Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, are the defendants.

Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to the 12-count defamation and criminal charges. Yet, in a disturbing display of judicial severity, he was denied bail. On Tuesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre for 21 days, scheduling his bail application for December 1, 2026.

This is outrageous. A journalist who has not been convicted of any offence should not be subjected to prolonged incarceration over reports that question the handling of public funds. If Orelope-Adefulire considers the reports defamatory or inaccurate, the civil courts provide an avenue for redress.

Dragging the police and the criminal justice system into what is essentially a dispute over published material smacks of intimidation.

This is not even the first time Ojukwu has suffered such treatment. In May 2024, he was abducted and detained over the same reports. Officers from the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team initially held him at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos, before transferring him to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.

He spent nine days in detention for doing his job. Now, more than two years later, the same matter has returned with the threat of another prolonged ordeal. The psychological and emotional toll on the journalist and his family is immense. No democracy should subject its citizens to such indignity for holding public officials accountable.

More troubling is the apparent willingness of powerful interests to deploy state institutions against inconvenient journalism. An investigative report of this nature should have prompted a public explanation of the alleged expenditure and an opportunity to establish the facts.

Instead, the response has been police detention, criminal charges and imprisonment. What message does this send to other journalists investigating the activities of public officials?

The Cybercrime Act has become a dangerous instrument of repression. Its continued deployment against journalists is damaging Nigeria’s democratic credentials and international standing. A country cannot credibly claim to uphold freedom of expression while using criminal law to punish those who scrutinise the powerful.

Amnesty International Nigeria is right to condemn the development and demand Ojukwu’s immediate and unconditional release.

The organisation warned that his detention raises serious concerns about the use of judicial processes to intimidate journalists and undermine freedom of expression and media freedom. No journalist should face threats, intimidation or punitive measures for holding those in authority accountable.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has similarly called for Ojukwu’s release and an end to the use of criminal defamation and cyberstalking charges against journalists carrying out legitimate professional duties.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors had also condemned the frequent arrests and detention of journalists under the Cybercrime Act in 2024. It rightly stressed that the legislation was enacted to combat cybercrime, not to persecute journalists performing their constitutional responsibilities.

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The consequences of this hostility towards the media are reflected in Nigeria’s poor standing on press freedom.

Nigeria ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index and 12th in Africa, placing it among countries classified as having a difficult press freedom environment.

It is regarded as one of West Africa’s most dangerous countries for journalists. These are damning indicators of a democracy that is failing to protect one of its most important institutions.

The Federal Government should heed the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which ordered Nigeria to repeal or amend provisions of the Cybercrime Act that violate freedom of expression. Ignoring such judicial pronouncements only reinforces the perception that the government is more interested in preserving instruments of repression than protecting fundamental rights.

The warning by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, against abusive laws and the persecution of journalists should not be lost on the Nigerian authorities. Türk has called on governments to repeal repressive legislation, end the persecution of the press and protect journalists against surveillance. His concerns are underscored by the scale of attacks on media workers globally.

Closer to home, Dataphyte reported more than 1,000 incidents involving journalists in Nigeria between 2013 and May 2026. These included physical assaults, unlawful arrests and detention, kidnappings, killings and threats. Such figures expose the dangerous environment in which Nigerian journalists operate.

The Constitution is unequivocal about the media’s role. Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the press to hold government accountable, while Section 39(1) guarantees freedom of expression.

These protections are reinforced by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which recognise the right to freedom of expression and access to information.

The National Assembly must recognise the danger of leaving such a weapon in the hands of those who wield political power. The same provisions now being used against journalists could tomorrow be deployed against legislators, opposition politicians, civil society groups and ordinary citizens. Repressive laws rarely discriminate among their eventual victims.

The Cybercrime Act must therefore be urgently reviewed, with its abusive provisions repealed or substantially amended to prevent its continued misuse against legitimate journalism.

Criminal defamation should have no place as a tool for settling disputes over public-interest reporting.

Equally, the judiciary must resist attempts to turn courtrooms into instruments of political intimidation.

Judges should exercise greater caution in cases involving freedom of expression, while the Chief Judge should consider the request for reassignment of this case in the interest of public confidence and a fair hearing.

Above all, Ojukwu should not be made to pay for exposing matters of public interest. His continued detention is unacceptable and sends a chilling message to every journalist who dares to investigate those in power.

Release Daniel Ojukwu immediately. Journalism is not a crime, and accountability must never be punished. Enough is enough!