Court Remands FIJ Journalist Daniel Ojukwu Until December Bail Hearing
ABUJA — A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Daniel Ojukwu at the Kuje Custodial Centre until a hearing of his bail application on 1 December 2026.
Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to 12 counts alleging cybercrime and criminal defamation. The charges relate to investigations published by FIJ in late 2023 and early 2024 concerning contracts and expenditure linked to the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.
The allegations in the charge sheet remain unproven. Ojukwu is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and MBTV is not reproducing the disputed claims as established facts.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said it reviewed a copy of the charge sheet and called for the charges to be dropped. Amnesty International Nigeria and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project have also criticised the detention as a threat to press freedom.
A lawyer representing Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, whose office was discussed in the reports, defended the decision to pursue the case and challenged the journalists to substantiate their reporting. FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo is also named in the proceedings.
The case has renewed debate over the use of Nigeria’s cybercrime law in disputes arising from journalism. The court has not ruled on the truth of the underlying reports, the merits of the charges or Ojukwu’s bail application.
Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; Associated Press; Premium Times.
Featured image: illustrative newsroom microphone photograph by Robinson Recalde/Unsplash; it does not depict Daniel Ojukwu.
