Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), who was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police, has been released after protests by Civil Society Organisations in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Ojukwu regained freedom on Friday after spending 10 days in police custody, as confirmed by FIJ on its website.
He had gone missing on Wednesday, May 1, with his whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family, and friends as his phone numbers were switched off. FIJ made a missing person report at police stations in the area where Ojukwu was headed 24 hours after his disappearance.
A FIJ hired detective traced the last active location of Ojukwu’s phones to an address in Isheri Olofin, believed to be where the police initially detained him.
Ojukwu’s family learned of his detention at Panti, where authorities accused him of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act. Later, he was relocated to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
FIJ’s lawyers and negotiators, led by SaharaReporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, NUJ FCT Correspondent’s Chapel chairman Jide Oyekunle, and FIJ’s Board of Trustees chairman Bukky Shonibare, were given stringent bail conditions by the police.
On Thursday, Civil Society Organisations and journalists protested at the Force Headquarters in Abuja demanding Ojukwu’s release, carrying banners with inscriptions such as ‘Free Daniel Ojukwu’ and ‘Journalism is not a crime.’
The pressure from the protests led to a softening stance by the police, ultimately resulting in Ojukwu’s release on Friday.
“This case is one of the most egregious cases of human rights violation and misuse of police powers against journalists,” said Abimbola Ojenike, Managing Partner of Slingstone LP, FIJ’s attorneys. “This will not go unchallenged. There’s a significant public interest in Daniel’s human rights enforcement action that goes beyond just this violation. The constitutional right to free speech is dead if journalists can no longer expose the malfeasance in government officials without fear or oppression.”
