The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to secure the immediate release of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The organisation also demanded an immediate end to the prosecution and alleged harassment of Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, over investigative reports questioning the expenditure of public funds by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
SERAP further urged the Federal Government to stop using criminal defamation and cyberstalking laws to intimidate, punish or silence journalists carrying out their professional responsibilities, particularly those investigating alleged corruption, government spending and the management of public resources.
Ojukwu was reportedly remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre on Tuesday by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja following his arraignment on 12 counts bordering on alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
The journalist pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
However, the court ordered that he remain in custody until December 1, 2026, while adjourning the hearing of his pending bail application until December.
Reacting to the development, SERAP expressed concern over the journalist’s continued detention, warning that the situation could send a dangerous message to journalists and other Nigerians who seek to expose alleged corruption and demand accountability from public officials.
The organisation maintained that Ojukwu’s prosecution was connected to investigative reports published in 2023 and January 2024, which raised questions about payments of ₦147.1 million and ₦47.5 million reportedly made for classroom construction projects under the OSSAP-SDGs.
The reports also questioned the failure of solar panels installed at some of the projects shortly after their completion, raising concerns about the quality of the projects and the management of public funds allocated for their execution.
SERAP argued that the issues raised in the reports were matters of legitimate public interest, insisting that government officials and public institutions must be prepared to explain how taxpayers’ money is spent.
According to the organisation, investigative journalism plays a critical role in exposing possible financial irregularities, promoting transparency and ensuring that public officials are held accountable for decisions taken in the discharge of their responsibilities.
It argued that where journalists publish reports raising questions about public expenditure, the appropriate response from government authorities should be to provide explanations, make relevant records available and investigate any allegations of wrongdoing rather than resorting to criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
The organisation described Ojukwu’s latest detention as particularly disturbing, recalling that the journalist had previously spent 10 days in detention in May 2024 over reporting concerning the same public official and alleged expenditure of public funds.
SERAP warned that continuing to prosecute and detain journalists over investigative reports could create an atmosphere of fear in the media industry, forcing reporters to abandon sensitive investigations into corruption and government accountability for fear of arrest, detention or imprisonment.
It stressed that journalists should not face criminal punishment for reporting on matters involving public officials, especially where such reports concern the management of public resources and issues affecting the wider public.
The organisation also invoked constitutional and international legal protections for freedom of expression and media freedom, citing Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended.
Section 22 places an obligation on the mass media to hold government accountable to the people, while Section 39 guarantees the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to receive and impart information without interference.
SERAP also referenced Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which protect the right to seek, receive and communicate information and ideas.
According to the organisation, these protections extend to opinions, reports and publications that may be critical, controversial or unwelcome to those occupying positions of political authority.
It maintained that freedom of expression is particularly important when journalists investigate alleged corruption, scrutinise government expenditure and report on the conduct of individuals entrusted with public responsibilities.
SERAP further argued that public officials must be willing to tolerate robust scrutiny and criticism, especially when questions concern the exercise of public power and the management of taxpayers’ money.
The organisation also cited paragraph 47 of the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 34, which cautions against using defamation laws to suppress freedom of expression.
The committee has urged governments to recognise truth and public interest as defences in defamation cases, avoid excessively punitive sanctions and consider the decriminalisation of defamation.
SERAP’s intervention comes amid renewed concerns over the use of criminal laws against journalists investigating alleged corruption and scrutinising the activities of public institutions.
The organisation is therefore demanding that President Tinubu and Attorney-General Fagbemi urgently intervene to secure Ojukwu’s release, discontinue the prosecution of both Ojukwu and Soyombo over the investigative reports and guarantee an environment where journalists can carry out their professional duties without fear of arrest or imprisonment for legitimate public-interest reporting.