Human rights organization Amnesty International Nigeria has called on Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu, following a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering his remand in prison custody for 21 days.
​The remand order was issued on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, by Presiding Judge Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. Justice Abdulmalik directed that Ojukwu, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja until December 1, 2026, when his pending bail application will be heard.
​The prosecution, brought by the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in a criminal suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/486/2024, levels a 12-count charge against Ojukwu and FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo. The charges border on alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation under Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention, etc.) Act.
​The charges stem from investigative reports published by FIJ between November 2023 and January 2024 regarding alleged financial mismanagement and diversion of public funds involving Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, former Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
​During Tuesday’s proceedings in Abuja, Ojukwu formally entered a plea of not guilty to all 12 counts read against him. The government’s legal team, led by prosecutor Kunle Lawal alongside Tolulope Osho, Grace Baiyeshea, and Marvellous Orji, requested a bench warrant for co-defendant Fisayo Soyombo.
However, Justice Abdulmalik rejected the prosecution’s application, ruling that a warrant could not be legally issued for a defendant who had not yet been formally brought before the court.
​Ojukwu was represented by a defense team comprising Atanda Kayode, Ayo Oluseye, Olaoluwa J. Ariyo, and MBI Amosun, with Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ayotunde Ogunleye also appearing in court on his behalf.
​In a public statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, via its official X platform, Amnesty International Nigeria strongly condemned the remand, warning against the weaponization of the judicial system.
​”Journalism is not a crime, and exposing allegations of corruption must never be treated as an offence,” the organization stated.
​Amnesty highlighted that Ojukwu’s continued prosecution appears to be part of a broader pattern of using the criminal justice system to intimidate media professionals and punish reporters for holding public officials accountable.
The organization warned that keeping Ojukwu detained for 21 days at Kuje Correctional Centre risks deepening a climate of fear and intimidation across Nigeria’s media landscape, urging authorities to adhere strictly to international human rights standards and fair trial guarantees.
