The administration of President Bola Tinubu has come under fire following the remand of an investigative journalist, Daniel Ojukwu.

Ojukwu was remanded over reports questioning the management of public funds by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Sustainable Development Goals, led by Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

Media and civil society organisations condemned the prosecution and warned that it poses a threat to press freedom and democratic accountability.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, the West Africa Editors Society and a coalition of media and civil society organisations demanded Ojukwu’s immediate and unconditional release.

Their reactions came amid mounting criticism from local and international right groups over the Federal High Court’s decision to remand Ojukwu in the Kuje Custodial Centre, Abuja, until December 1, when his bail application would be heard.

Ojukwu, a correspondent with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on 12 counts bordering on cyberstalking and criminal defamation over investigations into Orelope-Adefulire’s office.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In a joint statement titled, ‘A Dangerous Attack on Press Freedom and Democratic Accountability’, made available to Saturday PUNCH, the coalition described the decision to remand Ojukwu, despite his lawyers’ request that he be allowed to continue on his previous administrative bail, as a disturbing escalation in the use of criminal prosecution against journalists.

The coalition said the reports at the centre of the case raised legitimate questions about public expenditure, including payments of N147.1m and N47.5m for classroom construction projects and concerns about the functionality of solar installations reportedly completed under the projects.

It argued that public officials and institutions entrusted with public resources must be prepared to explain their decisions and expenditure to Nigerians.

“The appropriate response to investigative journalism should be far from intimidation, detention, or criminal prosecution. Where a report is considered inaccurate or defamatory, the law provides legitimate avenues for redress that must be pursued in a manner consistent with constitutional guarantees and Nigeria’s human rights obligations,” the statement read.

Similarly, the NUJ National President, Alhassan Yahya, told Saturday PUNCH that the union was demanding Ojukwu’s unconditional release and the withdrawal of charges against him and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, who is the second defendant in the case.

He cautioned the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies against what he described as the weaponisation of the Cybercrimes Act and criminal defamation laws to harass, abduct and silence journalists.

Yahya recalled that Ojukwu was previously arrested and detained for 10 days in May 2024 over the same report before his release following public outcry.

He described the latest remand as a troubling recurrence.

“Journalism is a constitutionally mandated public service, not a crime; deploying the apparatus of the criminal justice system to punish reporters for scrutinising public spending undermines the very foundations of Nigeria’s democracy,” he said.

The NUJ president urged the authorities to respect constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and the press, citing Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The West Africa Editors Society also condemned Ojukwu’s incarceration, urging the authorities to drop the charges and release him.

In a statement signed by Emmanuel Dogbevi and made available to Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, WAES expressed concern that Nigeria, despite its history of journalism and democratic advocacy, was increasingly witnessing the punishment of journalists for performing their professional duties.

“Journalism has in the past and even today brought honour to Nigeria, and the actions of a few officials should not bring the country to disrepute,” the society said.

The coalition warned that Ojukwu’s detention could have consequences extending beyond the journalist and FIJ.

It urged the government to address the issues raised in the FIJ investigations through the release of relevant records, independent scrutiny and appropriate accountability mechanisms.

The latest condemnations add to earlier calls by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Amnesty International Nigeria and the Committee to Protect Journalists for Ojukwu’s release.

Ojukwu’s prosecution arose from FIJ investigations published between late 2023 and early 2024, which questioned contracts and payments by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals.

One of the reports, published on November 7, 2023, was titled, ‘Special Report: Two weeks before end of Buhari’s tenure, special assistant, Adefulire paid a restaurant N147.1m to build classrooms in Lagos. A lot was amiss.’

The investigation examined an alleged payment of N147,127,467.58 to Enseno Global Ventures Limited for a skill acquisition centre and classroom projects, raising questions about the company’s operations and capacity to execute the contracts.

Another report questioned a N47.5m classroom construction contract awarded to Tru3 Nigeria Limited, including concerns about the company’s status and its alleged failure to mobilise to the project site.

FIJ also reported that solar panels installed at some of the projects stopped functioning shortly after completion.

The investigations questioned the procurement process, the contractors’ capacity and the execution of the projects.

According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged that Ojukwu and Soyombo conspired to commit cyberstalking and published reports on the FIJ website that allegedly placed Orelope-Adefulire in fear of death, violence or bodily harm.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/486/2024 and titled, ‘Inspector-General of Police vs Daniel Ojukwu & Anor’, lists the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, as the complainant.

The charges were brought under the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Criminal Code Act.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, Ojukwu’s lawyers, Oluseye Ayo Moore and Abimbola Ojenike, asked the court to allow him to continue on his previous administrative bail.

Justice Abdulmalik declined the request, ruling that the fresh bail application filed on Monday was not ripe for hearing.

She adjourned the matter until December 1 to allow the prosecution to respond.

The prosecution also requested a bench warrant against Soyombo, who was absent from court, but the judge declined, saying the second defendant had not been properly served.

Press freedom under Tinubu

The prosecution has renewed concerns about press freedom under the Tinubu administration, particularly the use of the Cybercrimes Act against journalists over their publications and online expressions.

A mid-term assessment by the Media Rights Agenda, titled, ‘The Onslaught Intensifies: A Mid-term Assessment Report on Media Freedom under the Tinubu Administration,’ documented 141 incidents of attacks on journalists, media workers and ordinary citizens between May 29, 2023, and May 29, 2025.

The report attributed 61 incidents, representing 43.26 per cent, to police operatives, while the Department of State Services accounted for seven cases, or 4.96 per cent.

MRA’s Executive Director, Edetaen Ojo, told Saturday PUNCH that the continued use of repressive laws, arrests, detention, surveillance and intimidation remained major threats to media freedom.

He also expressed concern about the use of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act to arrest, detain and prosecute journalists and social media users over critical or dissenting expressions.

Other organisations have documented similar violations.

CPJ identified 91 journalists arrested, attacked or harassed since Tinubu assumed office, while the International Press Centre recorded 65 attacks in 2024.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development also verified at least 231 attacks since the President took office.

Among the cases cited by press freedom advocates are the arrests of FIJ’s Emmanuel Uti, blogger Destiny Ekhorutomuen, four journalists with Informant247 in Kwara State, and publisher Fejiro Oliver, who has remained in detention since September 2025.

CPJ also reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed while covering the #EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024.

Adding his voice to concerns over Ojukwu’s detention, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, Busola Ajibola, warned that the prosecution could discourage investigations into powerful individuals and public institutions.

“Journalism isn’t a crime and shouldn’t be equated with it,” she told Saturday PUNCH.

Ajibola called on Nigerians to speak out against criminal defamation and provisions of the Cybercrimes Act which, according to her, threaten freedom of expression, access to information and press freedom.

She faulted the use of the police and criminal justice system to prosecute journalists following complaints from individuals who claim that reports have defamed them or exposed them to threats.

Ajibola argued that people who feel wronged by publications should seek redress through civil proceedings rather than criminal prosecution.

She cited Ojukwu’s remand and the earlier detention of Secret Reporters journalist, Stanley Ugagbe, who reportedly spent about two months in custody, as examples of the pressure facing investigative journalists.

She claimed that more than 20 journalists had been targeted with criminal defamation and cybercrime laws in the past two years, warning that the trend could gradually weaken investigative reporting in the country. (PUNCH)