Nigerian court orders journalist kept in custody over report, renewing concerns over media freedom

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A decision by a court in Nigeria to keep an investigative journalist in custody has sparked widespread outrage, renewing concerns about media freedom in the country .

Daniel Ojukwu, with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, or FIJ, a local investigative media house, was jailed on a 12-count charge for allegedly violating the country’s cybercrime act, pending a bail hearing. The court's decision was issued on Tuesday.

The law has long been seen as a tool to censor journalists in Nigeria, where journalists are exposed to political persecution over reports.

Nigeria is ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders — only improving by 10 places since 2025.

At least 29 journalists have faced prosecution under Nigeria’s cybercrimes law since it was enacted in 2015, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report in October 2024.

Ojukwu was arrested for a report on the alleged financial mismanagement of more than 147 million naira ($109,000) involving a senior government official, according to the charge sheet seen by The Associated Press. The case was filed by the office of the Inspector-General of Police.

In 2024, Ojukwu was secretly detained in Lagos and later found in Abuja after being missing for several days over the same report. He was released following a public outcry and pressure from human rights groups.

“If you have seen the copy of the charge, it was filed in September 2024. FIJ was not aware of that until recently when he was detained,” Abimbola Ojenike, one of Ojukwu’s lawyers, told the AP on Wednesday.

Amnesty International condemned the arrest, saying Wednesday that the detention “raises serious concerns about the use of judicial processes to intimidate journalists and undermine the right to freedom of expression and media freedom in Nigeria.”

The court scheduled the reporter’s bail hearing for Dec. 1, meaning that he will remain in Kuje prison in the country’s capital until then.