The organisations condemned the continued prosecution and detention of Ojukwu, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), describing it as a threat to press freedom and the right to freedom of expression in Nigeria.

The ICIR reported that Ojukwu was remanded on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, by Joyce Abdulmalik, a judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, after he pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.

The charges arose from investigative reports published by FIJ in 2023 and January 2024, which questioned payments of ₦147.1 million and ₦47.5 million for classroom construction projects and the reported failure of solar panels installed at some of the projects shortly after their completion.

The court adjourned the hearing of his pending bail application until December 1, 2026, leaving the journalist in custody for 21 days.

In a statement, Amnesty International said Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Ojukwu, warning that his detention raised concerns about the use of judicial processes to intimidate journalists and undermine media freedom.

The human rights organisation said Ojukwu had faced legal proceedings since December 2024 following his reporting on alleged corruption and diversion of public funds involving government officials.

It also recalled that police officers abducted him in May 2024 in connection with the report.

Amnesty International said the continued prosecution and detention of the journalist appeared to reflect a broader pattern of using the criminal justice system to punish reporters for exposing alleged corruption and holding public officials accountable.

It also called on the authorities to end all forms of harassment and intimidation against FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo and allow him to carry out legitimate journalistic activities without fear of reprisals.

Similarly, SERAP urged President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to ensure Ojukwu’s release and end the prosecution of journalists over reports concerning alleged misuse of public funds by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) during the tenure of late President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to SERAP, the reports raised legitimate questions about public expenditure and should have prompted government officials to provide explanations and disclose relevant records rather than subject journalists to criminal prosecution.

The organisation also noted that Ojukwu had previously been detained for 10 days in May 2024 over reporting concerning the same public official and alleged expenditure of public funds.

It cited Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as legal protections for freedom of expression and media freedom.

The organisation also referenced a 2022 judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which declared Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 arbitrary, vague and repressive and ordered the Nigerian government to amend it in line with its human rights obligations.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Festus Ogun described Ojukwu’s remand as unconstitutional and an abuse of judicial process, arguing that criminal charges arising from investigative reporting should not be used to punish journalists for carrying out their professional duties.

Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore also criticised the court’s decision to remand Ojukwu for 21 days before hearing his bail application.

In a post on X, Sowore said the practice of delaying bail proceedings and remanding defendants in prison amounted to punishment before conviction.

He accused some Federal High Court judges of using procedural delays to prolong the detention of journalists, activists and other defendants facing cyberstalking charges.

Human rights lawyer Chidi Odinkalu also criticised the decision, questioning the remand of a journalist over reports concerning alleged public fund expenditure.