The Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu and Attorney‑General Lateef Fagbemi to secure the immediate release of journalist Daniel Ojukwu, who is being held at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Ojukwu, a reporter for the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was remanded on Tuesday by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, after being arraigned on 12 counts of alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and the court has adjourned his bail hearing until December, with a remand period set to end on 1 December 2026.
In its statement, SERAP called on the federal government to stop using criminal defamation and cyberstalking laws to intimidate or punish journalists who report on alleged corruption and the use of public funds. The organisation said that such prosecutions undermine freedom of expression and create a chilling effect on investigative reporting.
The case stems from FIJ investigative reports published in 2023 and January 2024 that questioned the expenditure of public money by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP‑SDGs). The reports highlighted payments of ₦147.1 million and ₦47.5 million for classroom construction projects and alleged that solar panels installed at some sites stopped functioning shortly after completion.
Ojukwu had previously been detained for ten days in May 2024 over similar reporting. SERAP warned that continued prosecution could reinforce an atmosphere in which journalists are discouraged from investigating corruption for fear of arrest, detention and imprisonment.
The organisation cited Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and paragraph 47 of the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 34. These instruments guarantee freedom of expression and caution against using defamation laws to stifle public interest reporting.
“Public officials and institutions should expect scrutiny of their decisions and expenditure of public funds,” SERAP said. It urged authorities to provide explanations, disclose relevant records and investigate allegations of wrongdoing rather than prosecute and imprison journalists.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
