The Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV) has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to expedite the hearing of the case involving detained Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reporter, Daniel Ojukwu, warning that prolonged detention without a speedy determination of his bail application poses a threat to press freedom.
The organisation said keeping Ojukwu at the Kuje Correctional Centre until December 1, 2026, merely for the hearing of his bail application, amounted to an infringement of his fundamental human rights.
The Executive Director of CAIDOV, Gbenga Soloki, made the call in a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, urging the court to avoid unnecessary adjournments and ensure an accelerated hearing of the case.
Ojukwu was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik after pleading not guilty to a 12-count charge of cyberstalking and criminal defamation arising from FIJ reports concerning the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
Soloki said it was unjustifiable to keep a journalist who had pleaded not guilty and was not a flight risk in detention for 21 days before his bail application could be heard.
“The court should expedite action on this matter. A journalist who has pleaded not guilty and who is not on the run should not be kept in prison for 21 days merely to hear bail. That is dragging the matter for too long,” he said.
He argued that the prolonged detention violated Sections 35 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantee the rights to personal liberty and freedom of expression, respectively, as well as the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
“The continued detention of Daniel Ojukwu is an infringement on his right to personal liberty, his right to freedom of expression and his right to practise his profession without fear,” Soloki said.
He warned that allowing the matter to drag on could send a dangerous message to journalists that they could be subjected to prolonged detention even before the commencement of their trial.
“This is a threat to press freedom. When one journalist is detained for doing his job, every journalist is threatened. When the press is silenced, democracy is endangered, because the press is the watchdog of the society,” he added.
Soloki maintained that journalism was not a crime, stressing that investigative reporting remained a legitimate and constitutionally protected responsibility.
He therefore called on the court to bring forward the hearing of Ojukwu’s bail application and ensure the accelerated determination of the substantive case.
“We are not asking the court to prejudge the matter. We are asking for expeditious hearing. Grant him bail, hear the case quickly, and let justice be done without delay. Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said.
The CAIDOV executive director also urged the Attorney-General of the Federation to review the charges and consider discontinuing the prosecution in the interest of press freedom.
He called on the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors, civil society organisations, human rights lawyers and the international community to monitor the proceedings and demand speedy justice for Ojukwu.
“We will not fold our arms while journalists are hunted for speaking truth to power. CAIDOV will continue to stand against injustice, intimidation and any attempt to gag the press,” Soloki added.
He stressed that Nigeria could not build a strong democracy while journalists continued to live in fear of arrest, remand and prolonged detention for carrying out their constitutional responsibilities.
