A REPORTER with the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ) Daniel Ojukwu, who was arrested by the Nigerian police for alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act, has been released after spending 10 days in custody.
His release followed the protest of civil society organisations and journalists at the Force Headquarters on Thursday, May 9, demanding his release.
Subsequently, the police began to soft-pedal, resulting in his eventual release on Friday.
The ICIR reported how FIJ’s legal representatives and negotiators, headed by a human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and the chairman of FIJ’s Board of Trustees Bukky Shonibare raised concern over the stringent bail conditions imposed on the reporter.
“Daniel Ojukwu’s case is one of the most egregious cases of human rights violation and misuse of the powers of the Police against journalists,” said Abimbola Ojenike, Managing Partner of Slingstone LP, FIJ’s attorneys.
The ICIR reports that Ojukwu was abducted by officials of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun on Wednesday, May 1, two days before World Press Freedom Day.
His abduction only became known on Friday, May 3, after spending days with the police in Lagos State.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) moved Ojukwu to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja, after spending four days in police custody in Lagos State.
On the orders of the IGP, Ojukwu was transferred by the IRT to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja in the early hours of Sunday, May 5.
Ojukwu’s abduction was in connection with FIJ’s story on how Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, former senior special assistant on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs) to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adefulire was investigated for having paid N147.1 million to an account traced to Enseno Global Ventures (Enseno GV), an Abuja-based restaurant, for constructing a classroom.
Although the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDG) responded to the FIJ’s report in a statement, the response failed to address questions raised in the report.
Rather than effectively clarify the issues raised in the FIJ’s investigation, the response issued on Monday, May 6, instead said the claim that the OSSAP-SDGs awarded N141.1 million to a restaurant in Abuja a few weeks before the expiration of the Buhari regime was ‘misleading’.
“The information in the publications is false from the onset. The intentions behind the assertions are malicious individuals trying to ruin the image of the high office. OSSAP-SDGs has been transparent in its operations and project implementation processes, including supporting the construction of the Skills Acquisition Centre and a Block of Classrooms across the country,”
“Therefore, the assertion that our project was sponsored by a restaurant is false and baseless. Our projects are done by professionals in the field of construction and engineering, where such professionals are contracted competitively, following the set rules and standards,” part of the statement read.
This response was despite evidence of findings provided in the report by Ojukwu.
Ojukwu’s detention generated widespread condemnation from journalists and concerned Nigerians, who deemed the attack a significant setback in the ongoing battle against impunity and harassment of media professionals in Nigeria.
‘This will not go unchallenged’ – FIJ’s attorney
Meanwhile, the FIJ’s attorney, the Managing Partner of Slingstone LP, Abimbola Ojenike, said the arrest and detention of Ojukwu would not go unchallenged in a court of law.
“This will not go unchallenged. There’s a significant public interest in Daniel’s human rights enforcement action that goes beyond just this violation. The constitutional right to free speech is dead if journalists can no longer expose the malfeasance in government officials without fear or oppression.”
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