Nigeria: Nigerian Court Detains Journalist Daniel Ojukwu On Cybercrime Charges
[CPJ] Abuja -- The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to immediately drop the criminal charges against journalist Daniel Ojukwu, release him unconditionally, and stop criminalizing the press for their work.
Abuja — Nigeria's federal court detained journalist Daniel Ojukwu on November 10, placing him under custody at the Kuje Custodial Centre until December 1. He faces 12 counts of cybercrime and criminal defamation. Ojukwu, a correspondent for the privately owned Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), pleaded not guilty to the charges.
FIJ's founder, Fisayo Soyombo, who faces the same charges, was not present at the hearing but is expected at the next one. Nigerian authorities must immediately drop the criminal charges against Ojukwu and Soyombo, and repeal laws that criminalize journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged. The charges stem from four investigations the journalists conducted between late 2023 and early 2024, uncovering suspicious government contracts and Ojukwu's detention in 2024.
If convicted, Ojukwu could face up to 10 years in jail or a fine of $18,570, while Soyombo could receive a two-year sentence.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
