A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Daniel Ojukwu, a correspondent with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), at the Kuje Correctional and Custodial Centre. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, November 10, followed his plea of not guilty to a 12-count charge bordering on alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik presided over the proceedings and adjourned the case until December 1, 2026, for the hearing of Ojukwu’s bail application. As a result, the journalist will remain in detention pending the determination of that application.
The Charges and Co-Defendant
The case was filed by the Inspector-General of Police and also names Fisayo Soyombo, FIJ’s founder, as the second defendant. During Tuesday’s sitting, the prosecution applied for a bench warrant against Soyombo, claiming he was at large. The judge rejected the application, ruling that the court could not issue a bench warrant against a defendant who had never been brought before it.
The 12-count charge, dated September 19, 2024, accuses Ojukwu and Soyombo of conspiring to commit cyberstalking and criminal defamation against Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a former Senior Special Assistant to the late President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The allegations stem from five investigative reports published on FIJ’s website between November 2023 and January 2024.
Details of the Investigation
One of the reports cited in the charge was published on November 7, 2023, under the headline: “Special Report: 2 Weeks Before End of Buhari’s Tenure, Special Assistant, Adefulire Paid a Restaurant N147.1m to Build Classrooms in Lagos. A Lot Was Amiss.”
The investigation examined an alleged payment of N147,127,467.58 by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, then headed by Orelope-Adefulire, to Enseno Global Ventures Limited for a skill acquisition centre and classrooms at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos.
During a visit to the school in October 2023, FIJ reportedly found the facility dilapidated and understaffed, with no visible evidence of the reported construction. A mosque also stood on the site where the school was expected to be.
Corporate Affairs Commission records cited in the investigation showed that Enseno Global Ventures was registered in 2019 as an inactive company without tax filings. Its registered address reportedly operated as a restaurant, whose owner denied knowledge of the contract.
Prosecution and Defence Arguments
The prosecution alleged that the publications endangered the former presidential aide’s life and exposed her to violence or bodily harm. It further argued that the reports constituted cyberstalking and criminal defamation under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Criminal Code Act.
Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts when they were read to him. Following his plea, the prosecution requested that he be remanded in custody.
His defence counsel informed the court that a bail application had been filed on his behalf and urged the judge to allow him to continue enjoying the administrative bail previously granted by the police. The lawyers argued that Ojukwu had not breached any of the conditions attached to that bail.
The judge declined the request, noting that the charge had been served on the journalist long before his lawyers filed the bail application on Monday, November 9. The court subsequently ordered his remand and fixed December 1 for the hearing of the bail application.
Background: Earlier Detention
Ojukwu’s remand comes more than two years after police officers abducted and detained him for 10 days over the same reports. On May 1, 2024, officers of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) abducted him at Isheri-Olofin, Lagos, following days of surveillance.
He was initially taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Lagos, before being transferred to Abuja four days later. In Abuja, he was detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Area 10 over allegations of defaming Orelope-Adefulire.
He regained his freedom on May 10, 2024, following public outcry and pressure from human rights advocates. The police subsequently withheld his international passport, citing concerns that he might flee the country. He was also required to appear before the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre several times over the case.
