Journalists and concerned citizens have converged on the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja to protest, demanding the immediate release of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
The ongoing demonstration at the NPF headquarters in Abuja stems from Ojukwu’s prolonged detention, which has lasted for 10 days, and the lack of response from the police leadership regarding his whereabouts.
Prominent Nigerians, including human rights activists and conveners of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore and Bukola Shonibare, alongside other media practitioners, are leading the protest at the entrance of the police complex.
The FIJ reported Ojukwu as missing to the police on May 2. It wasn’t until they hired a private detective to track the reporter’s last active location on his phone that both the media organization and his relatives became aware of his whereabouts.
Ojukwu remained in detention from May 1 to May 5 before gaining access to his phones. He was subsequently transferred by the Intelligence Response Team to Abuja, where he was detained in a cell at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, and later to the FCID.
During this period, the media organization discovered that Ojukwu was detained for allegedly violating the Cybercrime Act of 2015, while the Nigeria Police Force remained silent on the matter.
However, the police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, hinted that Ojukwu’s detention was linked to a written petition against the reporter.
In October 2023, Ojukwu reported how the then Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals to the President, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, paid N147.1 million to an account traced to Enseno Global Ventures, an Abuja-based restaurant, for the construction of classrooms.
FIJ suspects that this report might be the reason for Ojukwu’s detention and republished the investigation on Sunday.
Fisayo Soyombo, the Founder and Publisher of FIJ, emphasized that the investigation was based on facts and not mere allegations, highlighting the violation of the Cybercrime Act for which Ojukwu is being accused.
Soyombo also raised concerns about Ojukwu’s ‘arrest,’ noting that the organization had not received any invitation, particularly on this matter.