THE founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) Fisayo Soyombo, has announced plans to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 1, 2026, for his arraignment in a criminal case involving investigative reports published by the organisation.
Soyombo disclosed this on Thursday, November 12, after visiting Daniel Ojukwu, an FIJ journalist who authored the reports, at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja following his remand over the publications.
He said he had decided to appear in court as the second defendant in the case, despite not having been personally served with the criminal charge or proof of evidence.
“I understand that the Inspector General of Police deemed me ‘at large’ and asked for a bench warrant to arrest me and bring me to court. That won’t be necessary; I’ll be in court,” he said.
He, however, said he had not received any criminal charge or proof of evidence, either personally or through substituted service.
He said he would nevertheless attend the December 1 proceedings out of respect for the court.
“The law requires the IGP to ensure personal service of the Criminal Charge and proof of evidence on me; this has not been done but I will appear in court as a show of respect for the court. A truthteller has nothing to fear or any reason to run,” he said.
Soyombo also described Ojukwu as being in good spirits during his visit to the Kuje Correctional Centre, saying the journalist remained cheerful, smiled throughout their interaction and joked despite his continued detention.
Nevertheless, Soyombo expressed concern about Ojukwu’s health, particularly his longstanding battle with asthma.
The visit was also attended by Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, and Busola Ajibola, deputy director of journalism at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
Backstory
The ICIR reports that Ojukwu is being prosecuted alongside Soyombo over five investigative reports published by FIJ between November 2023 and January 2024, questioning expenditure by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), then headed by Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The Inspector-General of Police filed a 12-count charge dated September 19, 2024, accusing the journalists of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and criminal defamation against Orelope-Adefulire, a former aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
One of the investigations, published on November 7, 2023, was titled, “Special Report: 2 Weeks Before End of Buhari’s Tenure, Special Assistant, Adefulire Paid a Restaurant N147.1m to Build Classrooms in Lagos. A Lot Was Amiss.”
The report examined an alleged payment of ₦147.1 million by OSSAP-SDGs to Enseno Global Ventures Limited for a skill acquisition centre and classrooms at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos.
During a visit to the school in October 2023, FIJ reportedly found the facility dilapidated and understaffed, with no visible evidence of the reported construction. A mosque also stood on the site where the school was expected to be built.
Corporate Affairs Commission records cited in the investigation showed that Enseno Global Ventures was registered in 2019 as an inactive company without tax filings. Its registered address reportedly operated as a restaurant, whose owner denied knowledge of the contract.
Another FIJ investigation questioned a ₦47.5 million payment for classroom construction projects and reported that solar panels installed at some of the projects stopped working shortly after completion.
The police charge alleged that the publications exposed Orelope-Adefulire to danger, violence or bodily harm. The prosecution is relying on provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Criminal Code Act.
Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts when he was arraigned before a judge ,Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 10.
The judge ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional and Custodial Centre and adjourned the case until December 1 for the hearing of his bail application.
During the proceedings, the prosecution also requested a bench warrant against Soyombo, claiming he was at large. The judge rejected the request, ruling that a bench warrant could not be issued against a defendant who had never been brought before the court.
The ICIR reported that the journalist’s current detention comes more than two years after police officers arrested and detained him for 10 days over the same investigative reports.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M