Leading news organizations, including Legislative Vibes, are demanding the immediate release of Nigerian journalist Daniel Ojukwu, who has been held by government authorities since May 1. Ojukwu, an investigative reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was taken into custody by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on allegations of violating the Cybercrimes Act.
We in Legislative Vibes condemn in totality the detention. Daniel Ojukwu has been courageously exposing corruption cases by public authorities, who now seek to silence his voice and those of other independent journalists. We urge Nigerian officials to release Ojukwu from detention and end their intimidation of journalists.”
Fisayo Soyombo, FIJ’s founder and editor-in-chief, revealed that Ojukwu was arrested due to his investigation into suspicious spending by a government official who had diverted funds meant for school construction into a restaurant’s bank account. Soyombo expressed alarm at the secrecy surrounding Ojukwu’s detention, saying, “The abduction of Daniel Ojukwu is a monumental attack on press freedom. The police knew he would respond to an invitation, but instead, they disappeared him, leaving us searching and lodging missing person reports. This was more than an arrest; it was an abduction.”
Soyombo emphasized that Ojukwu’s detention would have remained unknown if not for a tip-off on May 3. The global journalism community is united in demanding Ojukwu’s release and an end to the intimidation of journalists in Nigeria.
LV