THE Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the arrest and continued detention of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), for alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act by the Nigeria Police.
This was contained in a statement released by the Deputy Director, CJID, Busola Ajibola, on Saturday, May 4.
This was as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) asked the President Bola Tinubu-led government to immediately release Ojukwu.
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SERAP made this call in a post on its official X handle, arguing that no journalist should ever be detained for doing their job.
It also noted that it’s attempting to sue the Tinubu administration over the unlawful detention of FIJ journalists by the police for alleged violation of the Cybercrime Act.
The ICIR reported how Ojukwu was arrested and detained in Lagos over allegations of cybercrime.
Ojukwu was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police on Wednesday, May 1, but his abduction became known on Friday, coinciding with World Press Freedom Day.
According to a report by FIJ, he is currently being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, in Lagos, and has been denied access to legal representation.
The attacks, which have continued to generate widespread condemnation from journalists and concerned Nigerians, were deemed a significant setback in the ongoing battle against impunity and harassment of media professionals in Nigeria.
Coalition calls for immediate release
Reacting to the arrest, the Coalition stated that the Lagos state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin have confirmed that Ojukwu was arrested by men of the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) of the Nigerian Police and is detained at the facilities of the Lagos state Police Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.
The Coalition noted that the arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists remain unacceptable as it negates the basic principles of democracy.
“The arrest and continued detention of Mr Ojukwu is not only a violation of his fundamental human rights but also an assault on press freedom.
“We call on the Nigerian police to immediately release Mr. Daniel Ojukwu and follow legal procedures to engage him.
We also call on the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the Cybercrime act 2015 ceases to be a weapon used in the harassment and arbitrarily detainment of journalists and media workers. We make this call based on past instances where the Cybercrime law has been used to criminalise journalism, harass and detain them,” the statement added.
It further reiterated that such intimidation constitutes an attack on press freedom and the right of the people to information.
While noting that journalism plays a critical role in democracy, it added that the Nigerian Police must avoid using the Cybercrimes Act to suppress investigative journalism aimed at entrenching a transparent and accountable system.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M