The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has strongly condemned the ongoing detention of four Nigerian journalists, who face new charges following their report that linked the Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) to fraud allegations. The journalists, whose charges were amended on October 14, are Olurotimi Olawale, Precious Eze Chukwunonso, Roland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami.
Angela Quintal, the head of CPJ’s Africa Program in New York, stated, “Nigerian authorities should release Olurotimi Olawale, Precious Eze Chukwunonso, Roland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami, and stop the growing criminalization of the press.”
Quintal further criticized the additional charges, noting that they signal an effort by Nigerian authorities to intimidate journalists across the country. Olawale is the editor of National Monitor, a privately owned newspaper, Chukwunonso runs News Platform, a privately owned website, Olonishuwa is a reporter with Herald, another privately owned outlet, and Odunlami is the publisher of Newsjaunts, an independent news website.
According to the revised charge sheet from October 14, the four journalists were accused of spreading “false and misleading allegations” on social media with the intention to “extort” and “threaten” GTBank’s management and harm the bank’s reputation. These offenses fall under sections 24(2)(c) and 27(1)(a) and (b) of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, as well as sections 408, 422, and 507 of Nigeria’s criminal code.
If convicted under the criminal code, the journalists could face severe penalties, including up to 14 years in prison under section 408, seven years under section 422, and three months under section 507. Additionally, under the Cybercrimes Act, they could receive a five-year sentence and a fine of 15 million naira (approximately $9,175) for violating section 24, along with a seven-year sentence for section 27 violations.
The journalists have been in custody since late September, following their report accusing Segun Agbaje, the CEO of GTBank, of involvement in an alleged fraud scheme amounting to 1 trillion naira (approximately $600 million).
They were initially charged on September 26 under the Cybercrimes Act, which, despite reforms in February, still leaves journalists at risk of prosecution, as previously highlighted by CPJ. Before the charges were amended, Oyinade Adegite, GTBank’s chief communications officer, told CPJ that the journalists’ report was defamatory, and the bank had sought to have them prosecuted for cybercrime.
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