‘Release Him Immediately’ – SERAP Tells FG Over FIJ Journalist Arrested For Cyber Crime

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the President Bola Tinubu-led government to immediately release the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reporter Daniel Ojukwu, who was reportedly arrested by officials of the Nigeria Police Force earlier this week.

SERAP made this call in a post on its official X handle, arguing that no journalist should ever be detained for doing their job.

“BREAKING: The Tinubu administration must immediately and unconditionally release FIJ journalist Daniel Ojukwu, reportedly detained by the police over alleged violation of the Cybercrime Act. No journalist should ever be detained for doing their job,” the post read.

Naija News had earlier reported that Ojukwu was arrested over an allegation bordering on “cybercrime”.

The management of FIJ said Ojukwu went missing on May 1 while his contact numbers were not reachable as family and friends struggled to reach him.

FIJ said a track of Ojukwu’s devices revealed his last active location to be Isheri Olofin, Alimosho Local Government Area, noting that the police arrested the journalist in this area.

The foundation revealed that Ojukwu’s family discovered he is being held by the intelligence response team (IRT) of the inspector-general of police (IGP) at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti area of Lagos.

The newspaper claimed that the journalist is being held for the alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

Speaking on the matter, the FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, said he suspects Ojukwu was arrested over a certain investigative story he reported in November 2023.

Ojukwu reported that the office of the senior special assistant to the president on sustainable development goals (OSSAP-SDGs) awarded a contract for the construction of one skill acquisition centre and one block of six classrooms at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos at the cost of N147 million.

According to the report, the contract funds were paid into the “account of a restaurant,” while the project was not situated in its designated location.

The report revealed that the skill acquisition centre was constructed in Ladi-Lak Nursery and Primary School on 2, Randle Road, Apapa, and the block of six classrooms in Metropolitan Nursery and Primary School, Adekunle Deen Street, Off Mile 2-Ijora Expressway, Ijora.