Nigerian court jails reporter over investigations

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 12 November 2026 |  JP Global Monitoring

A Federal High Court in Abuja remanded investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu to Kuje Correctional Centre until Dec 1 after he pleaded not guilty to 12 counts, including cybercrime and criminal defamation, over FIJ probes into alleged contract irregularities.

Summary

ABUJA — A Nigerian court has remanded investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu in prison until December 1 over cybercrime and criminal defamation charges linked to reports examining alleged irregularities in government contracts.

Ojukwu, a correspondent with the privately owned Foundation for Investigative Journalism, pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts when he appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 10. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered him held at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending a hearing on his bail application.

Charges linked to public-interest reports

The charges concern four FIJ investigations published between late 2023 and early 2024 about contracts and payments associated with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.

The reports raised questions about more than 147 million naira in expenditure, including payments for classroom construction projects. The alleged financial irregularities reported by FIJ have not been established by a court, while Ojukwu and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo deny the criminal allegations against them.

FIJ founder also charged

Soyombo faces the same charges but was not present at the November 10 hearing. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which reviewed the charge sheet and reported the case on November 11, he is expected to appear at the next hearing.

The defendants are accused of violating provisions of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act relating to cyberstalking, as well as sections of the Criminal Code covering criminal defamation and conspiracy. Some of the cybercrime counts carry maximum penalties of up to 10 years in prison or substantial fines.

Ojukwu’s lawyers asked the court to allow him to remain free under the administrative bail previously granted by the police. They said he had complied with its conditions. The judge declined the request and scheduled the formal bail hearing for December 1.

The case marks a significant escalation from the journalist’s earlier detention over the same reporting. Police detained Ojukwu for 10 days in May 2024 after he disappeared in Lagos and was later located in Abuja. He was released following pressure from journalists and human-rights organizations.

Press-freedom groups demand release

CPJ called on Nigerian authorities to release Ojukwu, drop the charges against him and Soyombo, and stop using criminal laws against journalists performing public-interest work.

“Nigeria’s cybercrime and criminal laws have too often been used to target journalists,” CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal said, warning that the prosecution could discourage independent reporting ahead of elections.

Amnesty International also condemned the detention on November 11, saying it raised concerns that judicial processes were being used to intimidate journalists and restrict freedom of expression.

A coalition of 17 Nigerian media and civil-society organizations issued a separate statement on November 12 demanding Ojukwu’s immediate release. The organizations said questions about the accuracy of reporting should be addressed through lawful avenues of redress rather than detention and criminal prosecution.

Lawyer Muiz Banire, representing former presidential aide Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, defended the prosecution and challenged the journalists to substantiate what they had published. CPJ said its attempts to obtain direct comment from Orelope-Adefulire were unsuccessful.

Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act has repeatedly drawn criticism from press-freedom organizations over its application to journalists. CPJ previously documented at least 29 journalists prosecuted under the legislation between its adoption in 2015 and October 2024.

ATTRIBUTION: Prepared by JournalismPakistan, drawing on information published by the Committee to Protect Journalists, The Associated Press, Punch and TheCable on November 10–12, 2026.