Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been released after 10 days in police captivity. FIJ disclosed this Friday on its website. Ojukwu was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police and his whereabouts were unknown to colleagues and family.
Twenty-four hours after he went missing, FIJ made a missing person report at police stations in the area where Ojukwu was headed. Ojukwu’s detention was met with public outcry, leading to a protest march and his eventual release. FIJ’s lawyers have criticized the police for human rights violations and misuse of power.
Journalists and concerned citizens protested at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday morning, demanding the immediate release of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist working for the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
Ojukwu has been detained for nine days, and the police leadership has remained silent on the matter. Prominent Nigerians, including Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the RevolutionNow movement, and human rights activist Bukky Shonibare, led the protest at the entrance of the police complex.
The activists strongly condemned the prolonged detention of Ojukwu, viewing it as an unjust trial and punishment that violates his rights. They also criticized the police’s misuse of the remand order process, which infringes on the rights of Nigerian citizens.
During the protest, CP Vungmoh Kwaimo, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, addressed the demonstrators. He commended the peaceful conduct of the protest and assured them that Ojukwu would be appropriately charged in court at the right time.
In October 2023, Ojukwu reported on a case involving Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the then Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals to the President. The report revealed that ₦147.1 million had been paid to Enseno Global Ventures, an Abuja-based restaurant, to construct classrooms.
