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 finally regained his freedom after spending 10 days in police custody.
News About Nigeria reports that Ojukwu’s ordeal began when he went missing last Wednesday, with his whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family, and friends as his phone numbers were switched off.
Concerns grew as efforts to reach him proved futile, prompting FIJ to file a missing person report at local police stations.
In a bid to locate Ojukwu, FIJ hired a private detective who tracked the last active location of his phones to an address in Isheri Olofin, believed to be where the police initially picked him up.
Subsequently, Ojukwu’s family learned about his detention at Panti, where authorities accused him of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act.
On Sunday morning, the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police relocated Ojukwu to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
Despite efforts by FIJ’s lawyers and negotiators to secure his release, stringent bail conditions were imposed by the police.
However, following a protest march by civil society organisations at the Force Headquarters demanding Ojukwu’s release, the police eventually agreed to release him, which occurred on Friday.
Speaking on the matter, Abimbola Ojenike, Managing Partner of Slingstone LP, FIJ’s attorneys, condemned Ojukwu’s detention as a gross violation of human rights and an abuse of police powers against journalists.
He emphasised the importance of challenging such violations, stating that the constitutional right to free speech is undermined if journalists cannot expose government wrongdoing without fear of oppression.
