Nigerian journalist Daniel Ojukwu, who has been detained by the police has been relocated from Lagos to the National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
Ojukwu, who works for the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was reportedly arrested on Wednesday and held incommunicado at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos.
According to the police, Ojukwu was arrested based on a petition alleging a violation of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act of 2015.
Recall that this law has been criticized for being used to persecute journalists and media houses in Nigeria.
The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has strongly condemned Ojukwu’s abduction and called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately order his release. They warned that the IGP risks being blacklisted if he fails to do so.
Journalists and civil society groups have also taken to social media to demand Ojukwu’s freedom, highlighting the deteriorating state of press freedom in Nigeria. The country was ranked 123 out of 180 countries in the 2023 Reporters Without Borders global press freedom index.
The detention of Ojukwu is the latest in a series of incidents where Nigerian authorities have been accused of using repressive laws to target and harass journalists. Advocacy groups have called on the government to uphold the fundamental rights of the press and stop using the Cybercrime Act to stifle media freedom.
This case exposes the ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Nigeria . The outcome of Ojukwu’s detention will be closely watched as a test of the government’s commitment to press freedom.
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