SERAP demands Ojukwu’s release, end to prosecution of journalists

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to secure the immediate release of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), from the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja. The organisation also urged the Federal Government to end the use of criminal defamation and cyberstalking charges to intimidate or punish journalists for reporting on alleged corruption and the management of public funds. SERAP made the demands following the remand of Ojukwu at the Kuje Correctional Centre by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, pending the determination of his bail application. Ojukwu was reportedly remanded on Tuesday until December 1, 2026, after being arraigned on 12 counts bordering on alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The court subsequently adjourned the hearing of his pending bail application until December. SERAP also called for an end to the prosecution and alleged harassment of Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, over investigative reports concerning alleged expenditure of public funds by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs). The organisation expressed concern that Ojukwu’s detention could send a chilling message to journalists and others seeking to expose alleged corruption and

Reporting from Vanguard news wire services. Full analysis by The Abuja Times editorial desk.