Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the detention of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reporter Daniel Ojukwu, who is being held at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Ojukwu was remanded on Tuesday by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court after being arraigned on 12 charges that include alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation. He pleaded not guilty, but the court ordered his remand pending a bail hearing that has been adjourned until 1 December 2026.
The case stems from FIJ investigative reports published in 2023 and January 2024 that examined alleged spending by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP‑SDGs). The reports questioned payments of N147.1 million and N47.5 million for classroom projects and raised concerns that solar panels installed at some facilities reportedly stopped working shortly after completion.
SERAP calls on the government to discontinue what it describes as the harassment and prosecution of Ojukwu and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo over these publications. The organisation argues that the issues raised concern the use of public money and should be addressed through transparency and accountability rather than criminal proceedings against journalists.
“Keeping Ojukwu behind bars could discourage other journalists from reporting on corruption and holding public institutions accountable,” SERAP warned, citing Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as protections for media freedom.
Ojukwu had previously spent 10 days in detention in May 2024 over his reporting on allegations involving the same public official.
SERAP urges the government to make relevant documents available, explain questionable expenditure and investigate any suspected misconduct, and to release Ojukwu immediately.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
