By Emmanuella Opara | November 11th 2026
KEY POINTS
- Omoyele Sowore has called for the immediate release of Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Daniel Ojukwu.
- Ojukwu was remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre after pleading not guilty to a 12-count cybercrime charge.
- The Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned his bail application until December 1, 2026.
- Sowore criticised the length of time before the bail hearing, describing the detention as punishment before conviction.
MAIN STORY
Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has demanded the immediate release of Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter Daniel Ojukwu following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Ojukwu was remanded on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to a 12-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime offences, including cyberstalking. The Federal High Court adjourned his bail application until December 1, leaving the journalist in custody pending the hearing.
Sowore, in a statement published on his X account, condemned the decision, arguing that detaining a journalist for 21 days while awaiting a bail hearing was unacceptable.
“Remanding a journalist who is not on the run for 21 days merely to hear a bail application is unacceptable and wicked!” he wrote.
The charge, dated December 19, 2024, is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/486/2024. Former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is listed as the complainant, while Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, are named as defendants.
According to the prosecution, the journalists conspired to commit cyberstalking and transmitted reports published on the FIJ website which allegedly caused presidential aide Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire to fear death, violence or bodily harm.
One of the counts refers to an FIJ investigation published on November 7, 2023, concerning an alleged N17.1m payment to a restaurant for classroom construction in Lagos shortly before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Orelope-Adefulire previously served as Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation between 2003 and 2011 and as deputy governor from 2011 to 2015. She later served as Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals and retained the position under President Bola Tinubu.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecution told the court that Soyombo was at large and requested a bench warrant for his arrest. However, the judge rejected the application, noting that the second defendant had not previously been brought before the court.
Following Ojukwu’s plea, the prosecution requested that he be remanded in custody.
His lawyers urged the court to allow him to remain on administrative bail, informing the judge that a bail application was pending and that he had not breached its conditions.
The judge declined the request, observing that the charge had been served on Ojukwu long before his bail application was filed on Monday. The court subsequently fixed December 1 for the hearing.
Reacting to the ruling, Sowore described the development as punishment before conviction, arguing that it undermined the constitutional presumption of innocence and the right to personal liberty.
He also criticised what he described as a growing practice of prolonged detention while defendants await bail proceedings in Federal High Courts.
Sowore appealed directly to the presiding judge, Justice Abdulmalik, to reconsider Ojukwu’s continued detention and called for greater scrutiny of the activities of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, headed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police Akayinne Ezima.
He maintained that the courts should protect citizens against arbitrary detention rather than prolong it.
THE ISSUES
The case raises concerns about the balance between the prosecution of alleged cybercrime offences and the protection of press freedom and individual liberty.
Although Ojukwu has pleaded not guilty to the charges, his continued detention until the scheduled bail hearing has drawn criticism from Sowore, particularly over the length of time he must wait before presenting his application.
The case also places attention on the use of cybercrime laws in proceedings involving investigative journalism. The allegations against Ojukwu and Soyombo relate to reports published by FIJ, but the court has yet to determine the merits of the charges.
The distinction between allegations and proven offences remains important, as the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence while the case proceeds.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Remanding a journalist who is not on the run for 21 days merely to hear a bail application is unacceptable and wicked!”
Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
“The practice of throwing people into prison through prolonged bail proceedings is becoming disturbingly common in Nigeria’s Federal High Courts.”
Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
“The courts are supposed to protect citizens against arbitrary detention, not become instruments for prolonging it. Judicial discretion must never become a licence for judicial oppression.”
Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Federal High Court is expected to hear Ojukwu’s bail application on December 1, 2026. Until then, he remains remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, subject to any further court decision.
The substantive cybercrime case against Ojukwu and Soyombo also remains before the court.
BOTTOM LINE
Sowore’s demand for Ojukwu’s release has brought renewed attention to the journalist’s detention and the time required to hear his bail application. The court’s handling of the case will remain significant to discussions about due process, personal liberty and the prosecution of journalists over their reports.
