Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) on May 1 and is currently being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lagos.
After his disappearance, FIJ reported him missing and hired a private detective who traced his last active location to an address in Isheri Olofin, where the police likely picked him up.
Ojukwu’s family later discovered he was being held at Panti, where authorities accused him of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act.
A relative who visited him reported that the authorities refused to provide contact details of the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) on jurisdictional grounds, stating that the case was beyond Lagos.
The relative quoted the arresting officers as saying, “The arresting officers are part of the IG Monitoring Team. They said when they are done arresting the other people on their watchlist in Lagos, they would transfer him and others to Abuja.”
Ojukwu’s abduction coincides with World Press Freedom Day, which highlights the importance of press freedom and freedom of expression.
Ironically, Ojukwu was arrested on the same day last year for standing up for a driver’s rights.
The police have not formally stated why they abducted Ojukwu, but it is believed to be related to FIJ’s investigative reporting, including a story on Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the then senior special assistant on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs) to the president, who paid N147.1 million to an account traced to Enseno Global Ventures (Enseno GV), an Abuja-based restaurant, for the construction of a classroom.
The police had previously mentioned “two or three weighty allegations” against FIJ and its founder ‘Fisayo Soyombo, but no formal invitation has been extended to FIJ or Soyombo.
As Ademuyiwa Adejobi, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), stated, “I sought a clarification from the CP. He told me no, but definitely they are going to invite him because there are weighty allegations concerning certain publications that his platform did. And of course, an invitation to the police at this level is just to come and clarify certain things. Nothing more.”
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