Nigerian court remands journalist over 12 charges
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business Day Nigeria
Nigerian journalist Daniel Ojukwu was detained after pleading not guilty to 12 charges linked to his investigations into spending by the office of an adviser to President Bola Tinubu. He will remain detained until 1 December, when his bail application is due to be considered, reports Business Day Nigeria.
A Nigerian court on Tuesday 10 November ordered the detention of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), after he refused to plead guilty to 12 charges. Judge Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre, where he is to remain detained until 1 December, when his bail application is due to be considered, reports Business Day Nigeria.
The request to maintain the administrative bail previously granted by the police was rejected, with the judge noting that the formal bail application had only been filed on Monday. The prosecution, represented by Kunle Lawal, then requested that he remain in detention, while the court refused to issue an arrest warrant for Fisayo Soyombo, the FIJ founder and co-accused who was absent from the hearing, according to Business Day Nigeria.
The case concerns four investigations published by the FIJ between November 2023 and January 2024 into spending and projects under the office of Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, President Bola Tinubu’s special adviser on Sustainable Development Goals. The investigations notably referred to a payment of 147.1 million naira to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos and a 47.5 million naira contract awarded to Tru3 Nigeria Limited, reports Business Day Nigeria.
The police accuse the publications of cyber-harassment and criminal defamation, saying they exposed Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire to harassment and fear of physical violence, according to Business Day Nigeria.
