- Describes Arrest as an assault to press freedom
- Says Journalism is a vital component of democracy, and any actions that undermine its core principles are detrimental.
The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) and the International Press Institute (IPI) have demanded the immediate release of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
On May 3, the management of FIJ said Ojukwu went missing on May 1 while his contact numbers were not reachable as family and friends struggled to reach him.
FIJ said a track of Ojukwu’s devices revealed his last active location to be in Isheri Olofin, Alimosho LGA, noting that the area was the place where the police arrested the journalist.
The foundation revealed that Ojukwu’s family discovered he is being held by the intelligence response team (IRT) of the inspector-general of police (IGP) at the state criminal investigation department (SCID), Panti area of Lagos.
The newspaper claimed that the journalist is being held for the alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Saturday, Busola Ajibola, deputy director of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), described Ojukwu’s detention as an “assault on press freedom and also violation of his fundamental human rights.”
The coalition called on the Nigerian police to immediately release Ojukwu and follow legal procedures to engage him.
“CWPPF condemns the arrest and continued detention of Mr. Ojukwu Daniel Arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists remain unacceptable as it negates the basic principles of democracy,” the statement reads.
“The arrest and continued detention of Mr Ojukwu not only a violation of his fundamental human rights but also an assault on press freedom.
“We call on the Nigerian police to immediately release Mr. Daniel Ojukwu and follow legal procedures to engage him.
“We also call on the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the Cybercrime act 2015 ceases to be a weapon used in the harassment and arbitrarily detainment of journalists and media workers. We make this call based on past instances where the Cybercrime law has been used to criminalise journalism, harass and detain them.”
The group reiterated that the Nigerian police must avoid using the cybercrimes act to suppress investigative journalism, as it constitutes an attack on press freedom and information rights.
It added that Journalism is a vital component of democracy, and any actions that undermine its core principles are detrimental.
Speaking further in a joint statement by Musikilu Mojeed, President of the IPI Nigeria and Tobi Soniyi, legal adviser of the IPI advocacy committee, it alleged that the President Bola Tinubu administration does not only condones repression of freedom of the press but also encourages it.
IPI Nigeria, however urged the President to sanction the inspector general of police, adding that it has failed to lead by example.
The group called for immediate release of the journalist, stating that the IGP’s name will be included in IPI Nigeria’s book of infamy and branded an enemy of the media and journalists.
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