Daniel Ojukwu is an investigative journalist in Nigeria.
Foundation for Investigative Journalism
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Foundation for Investigative Journalism
Daniel Ojukwu is an investigative journalist in Nigeria.
Foundation for Investigative Journalism
LAGOS, Nigeria – An investigative journalist in Nigeria was arrested by police and held without charge for more than a week, sparking growing fears for his safety. His case has also sparked criticism from media and advocacy groups about the worsening climate for independent journalism in Africa’s most populous country.
Police arrested Daniel Ojukwu, 26, on May 1 in Lagos. His colleagues at the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) in Nigeria reported him missing the following day after friends and family were unable to reach him by phone. The IJF hired private investigators who found his last whereabouts before he was arrested, prompting journalists to demand answers from the Nigerian police.
Police did not confirm his arrest until Sunday, days after transferring him to the capital, Abuja, where he has been charged with violating the Cybercrimes Act, a controversial law That gives the Nigerian government broad powers to regulate perceived online crimes. Has been criticized for Amnesty International as a means to punish journalists and undermine the right to freedom of expression.
The arrest follows an investigative report by Ojukwu and his colleagues revealing corruption involving senior Nigerian officials. A presidential official, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who was tasked with achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, allegedly ordered the transfer of more than $106,000 in government funds to a restaurant in the capital, according to the Ojukwu report. Funds had been budgeted for the creation of a school building and learning center but, according to Ojukwu report, the facilities were never created. Orelope-Adefulire has not responded to the allegations.
Fisayo Soyombo, founder of FIJ, described Ojuwku’s arrest – two days before World Press Freedom Day on May 3 – as a “kidnapping”. “I use this word very carefully because he was never invited to address concerns about the story in question. Instead, he was tracked down, singled out, and held,” he said.
As of Wednesday, a week after his capture, Nigerian police had not questioned Ojukwu about the story he produced, nor had they questioned him about any alleged crime, Soyombo said, adding that the IJF contacted Ojukwu on Sunday phone. “The only thing they have done is put him in a cell.” Police did not respond to NPR’s requests for comment.
Ojukwu’s arrest was yet another sign of the “horrible” climate in independent journalism in Nigeria.
“If a journalist can be kidnapped for that story, I think anyone who has doubts can clearly see that Nigeria is currently ruling a fictitious democracy,” Soyombo said.
Soyombo is also being investigated by police for reporting in February that revealed alleged collusion between senior Nigerian police officials, customs officials and smugglers, in the movement of weapons and food across Nigeria’s border with Benin. Later in April, Nigerian police questioned a member of the IJF board of directors, the organization said.
On Wednesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement urging Nigerian authorities to “immediately release journalist Daniel Ojukwu and stop intimidating and arresting members of the press who are investigating the government’s spending of public funds.”
“The Nigerian police’s investigation into such a reputable media outlet demonstrates the alarming lengths they are willing to go to silence journalists trying to expose crimes,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program director.
Ojukwu’s case is the latest in a growing number of arrests of journalists over the past year under President Bola Tinubu’s government. Last month, another journalist, Segun Olatunji, was arrested and detained for two weeks by the Nigerian military following a report revealing alleged corruption by the president’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. He was released last week without charge and told local media that officers had stripped him naked, blindfolded him and detained him.
Several Nigerian media groups, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists, issued a joint statement urging the government to stop using “repressive tactics.” Nigeria is one of the most dangerous and difficult countries in West Africa for journalists, who are regularly subject to surveillance, attacks and arbitrary arrests. According to Reporters Without Borderswhich places Nigeria in 112th place among 180 countries for freedom of the press.