Nigerians and the international community have come decried the wave of abduction of journalists in recent time, under the Tinubu-led democratic government, citing the abduction of Daniel Ojukwu on a Lagos street as being the latest and a point of concern for media practitioners.
The arrest and detention of Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, FIJ has led the media cycle to worry about their safety as they discharge their duties.
The concerns are not only for the operators but also for their families and friends who fear for the safety and freedom of their loved ones.
But speaking amidst the condemnation trailing the development Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday, said he was working to resolve the issues.
Ojukwu was reported to have gone missing but his family and management of FIJ later discovered that he was in police custody on May 1.
The Nigeria Police said he was arrested in Lagos and taken to Abuja by operatives attached to the national cybercrime centre, Abuja, over a petition filed against him.
Giving an update to journalists, also on Sunday, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said Ojukwu had a case to answer.
“It has been confirmed that the journalist, Daniel Ojukwu, was arrested by the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre, Abuja, based on a petition filed against him. It’s a case of violation of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act 2015 and other extant laws of the land.
‘’He has a case to answer. This was confirmed to me on Sunday by the CP and head of the centre,”he said.
Adejobi said the force headquarters would soon address the matter “to clear the grey areas.”
His abduction came at a time when Nigerian journalists, last Thursday, joined their counterparts across the globe to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
FIJ noted that on the same day last year, World Press Freedom Day 2023, men of the Area F Police in Lagos arrested Ojukwu for telling them to stop punching a driver.
Ojukwu was given access to his phone on Sunday following sustained media pressure. He told his employers he had been moved to Abuja from Lagos.
On Sunday, Ojukwu’s employers confirmed a chat with him after four days since he was picked up.
“I’m currently in Abuja; I am at the NPF-NCCC – that’s the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre. I arrived this morning, and I was taken into a cell. All I know is that I’m in Abuja. This is the first time I’ve been given my phone since Wednesday. They (the NPF-NCCC agents) said that they were going to ask me questions. So, I’m waiting,” an FIJ report on Sunday quoted Ojukwu as saying.
It is unclear what the reporter’s offence is, but FIJ earlier said it was suspected to have been premised upon a report the embattled journalist did in November 2023.
According to the FIJ, when the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre grilled the chairman of FIJ’s Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, at their Abuja office in March, they had mentioned FIJ’s story on how Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the then Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals to the president, paid N147.1m to an account traced to Enseno Global Ventures, an Abuja-based restaurant, for the construction of a classroom.
Those who condemned the incarceration of Ojukwu, yesterday, included Ridwan Oke, a human rights lawyer and ActionAid Nigeria.
On Saturday, Oke, a human rights lawyer, said Ojukwu required medical attention.
In a post published on X, Oke, the lawyer in charge of Ojukwu’s case, said the journalist had been taken to Abuja by the police.
“I can confirm that Daniel was moved to Abuja early this morning. He was allowed to make calls and he just spoke with me. He’s currently being held at the “Threat Response Unit of the NPF National Cybercrime Centre”, Abuja. @PoliceNG, nothing must happen to him!,” he wrote.
“Detention unlawful, release him”, ActionAid demands.
In its condemnation of Ojukwu’s arrest, ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said the alleged arrest and detention of Ojukwu was in gross and flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of journalists to freely exercise their profession and constitutes an affront to democracy and press freedom.
Stating that any attempt to silence journalists and suppress freedom of expression was absolutely unacceptable and would not allow it to stand, he said: “ActionAid Nigeria strongly condemns the reported arrest of journalist Daniel Ojukwu…
It added, “this flagrant act violates the fundamental rights of journalists to freely exercise their profession and constitutes an affront to democracy and press freedom in Nigeria.
“It is deeply concerning that Daniel has reportedly been detained without due process and held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, in Lagos State.
“The Nigerian Police Force must immediately provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding Daniel Ojukwu’s detention. We demand transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law in this matter”.
Reacting to the development, on Sunday, Femi Falana, SAN, said: “Section 6 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 provides as follows: (1) Except when the suspect is in the actual course of the commission of an offence or is pursued immediately after the commission of an offence or has escaped from lawful custody, the police officer or other persons making the arrest shall inform the suspect immediately of the reason for the arrest.
“(2) The police officer or the person making the arrest or the police officer in charge of
(b) consult a legal practitioner of his choice before making, endorsing or writing any statement or answering any question put to him after arrest; and (c) free legal representation by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria where suspect.
“The media must use the case of this Ojukwu and many other cases to request that Nigerians whose family members cannot be found or who have been arrested without any disclosure of the place of detention should come out.
“A lecturer was arrested for over two years now and nobody knows where he is being detained or whether he has been killed. There is also the case of a journalist John Ebiri who was arrested and kept for over three years before his whereabouts was later disclosed. His family had thought he was dead,” he added.
Also reacting to the development last night, a lawyer, human rights activist and President of the World United Consumer Organisaton, Mr. Clement Osuya, maintained that Ojukwu’s action and detention was in clear violation of press freedom, saying it raised “serious concerns about police conduct in Nigeria.”
He said: “It is alarming that Ojukwu’s family was not informed about his whereabouts until several days after his arrest. Furthermore, he was held incommunicado without access to legal representation.
“These events clearly violate press freedom and raise serious concerns about police conduct in Nigeria. It is particularly concerning that these events coincide with World Press Freedom Day.
“The arrest and detention of Ojukwu have ignited grave concerns about press freedom in Nigeria. It is evident that Cyber Crimes legislation is being misused to suppress media freedom and harass journalists.
“These Draconian acts underscore the imminent threat to press freedom and the public’s right to information. The incident also brings to light broader concerns about the abuse of power, violations of fundamental human rights, and an assault on press freedom, underscoring the urgent need for safeguarding press freedom and democratic values.
“I vehemently condemn the arrest and detention of journalist Ojukwu! This is an outrageous threat to press freedom and democracy, and I demand the immediate release of Ojukwu.’’
Also, an Abuja-based lawyer and rights activist, Chief Chukwuma Nwachukwu, described Ojukwu’s arrest and detention as “another low and an abysmal degeneration of citizens’ rights by officials of law enforcement.”
He said: “By the combined effects and community reading of Sections 34, 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (“1999 CFRN”), the rights to dignity of the person, personal liberty and freedom of movement of the citizen is protected and guaranteed.
Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, who was seized by the police on the streets of Lagos, media professionals find themselves in a dire situation reminiscent of Nigeria’s junta era”.
His abduction came at a time when Nigerian journalists, last Thursday, joined their counterparts across the globe to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
