Nigeria Court Orders Journalist Held Pending Bail, Renewing Press Freedom Concerns

ABUJA, Nigeria — A decision by a Nigerian court to keep an investigative journalist in custody has sparked widespread outrage and renewed concerns about media freedom in the country.

Daniel Ojukwu, who is with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), a local investigative media house, was jailed on a 12-count charge alleging that he violated the country’s cybercrime law, pending a bail hearing. The court issued its decision on Tuesday.

The law has long been seen as a tool that critics say can be used to censor journalists in Nigeria, where reporters have faced political persecution over their reports.

Nigeria is ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders — a ranking that reflects only a 10-place improvement since 2025.

At least 29 journalists have faced prosecution under Nigeria’s cybercrime law since it was enacted in 2015, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in an October 2024 report.

Ojukwu was arrested for a report on the alleged financial mismanagement of more than 147 million naira ($109,000) involving a senior government official, according to the charge sheet seen by The Associated Press. The case was filed by the office of the Inspector-General of Police.

In 2024, Ojukwu was secretly detained in Lagos and later found in Abuja after being missing for several days over the same report. He was released following a public outcry and pressure from human rights groups.

“If you have seen the copy of the charge, it was filed in September 2024. FIJ was not aware of that until recently when he was detained,” Abimbola Ojenike, one of Ojukwu’s lawyers, told the AP on Wednesday.

Amnesty International condemned the arrest, saying on Wednesday that the detention “raises serious concerns about the use of judicial processes to intimidate journalists and undermine the right to freedom of expression and media freedom in Nigeria.”

The court scheduled the reporter’s bail hearing for Dec. 1, meaning that he will remain in Kuje prison in the country’s capital until then.

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