Detained Journalist, Daniel Ojukwu Released Following Abuja Protest

After days of unjust detainment and uncertainty, journalist Daniel Ojukwu, a member of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has finally been released from the grip of the Nigerian police.

Ojukwu’s release, although long overdue, finally arrived in the wake of a spirited demonstration led by a coalition of passionate civil society groups known as the Action Group for the Protection of Civic Actors and spearheaded by prominent human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ayuba Ede, announced the release of Ojukwu from detention. Ede revealed that the decision to set the journalist free was ultimately made by the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.

Daniel Ojukwu was abducted by the Nigerian police in Lagos on Wednesday, May 1. Thereafter, he was whisked away under the cover of darkness to Abuja, where he languished in captivity for a total of four excruciating days. His ordeal continued well into the fifth day when, after being held incommunicado for nearly a week, he was finally granted a modicum of access to his phone.

As the search for the missing journalist intensified, an intrepid investigator commissioned by FIJ traced Daniel Ojukwu’s last known phone activity to Isheri Olofin, the densely populated commercial center of Ikeja. This crucial clue led to the shocking revelation that Ojukwu was being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti.

The catalyst for Ojukwu’s abduction was a legal petition written by the former National Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, on behalf of Orelope-Adefulire. Banire’s petition, which alleged that Ojukwu’s reporting had violated the country’s Cybercrimes Act.

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