ABUJA – A Nigerian court’s decision to keep an investigative journalist in detention has prompted widespread outrage and renewed concerns over press freedom in the country.
Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, or FIJ, a Nigerian investigative media organization, was remanded in custody on a 12-count charge alleging violations of the country’s cybercrime law. The court issued its decision Tuesday, ahead of a bail hearing.
The law has long been criticized as a means of silencing journalists in Nigeria, where reporters face political pressure and legal action over their work.
Nigeria ranks 112th among 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, an improvement of just 10 places from its 2025 position.
Since Nigeria’s cybercrime law was enacted in 2015, at least 29 journalists have faced prosecution under it, according to an October 2024 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Ojukwu was arrested over a report alleging the financial mismanagement of more than 147 million naira ($109,000) involving a senior government official, according to a charge sheet reviewed by The Associated Press. The case was brought by the office of the Inspector-General of Police.
In 2024, Ojukwu was secretly detained in Lagos and later located in Abuja after disappearing for several days in connection with the same report. He was freed after a public outcry and pressure from human rights organizations.
“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.
Amnesty International condemned the arrest Wednesday, saying 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 set Dec. 1 for Ojukwu’s bail hearing, meaning he will remain in Kuje prison in Nigeria’s capital until then.
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