WorldStage— The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has expressed alarm over court’s decision to adjourn prosecution of Daniel Ojukwu, an investigative reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), and demand his immediate release on bail.
The court had ruled to adjourn Ojukwu’s bail application from November 12 until December 1, a decision over which the NGE warned that jailing journalists over public-interest reporting creates a severe chilling effect across the media landscape.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 15, 2026, and signed by its President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, the Guild described Ojukwu’s continued incarceration at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja as a direct assault on press freedom and democratic governance.
“Investigative journalism is not a crime. Asking questions about public expenditure is not cyberstalking. Demanding accountability from public officials is not defamation,” the Guild stated, noting that when reporters face imprisonment for scrutinising public funds, it sends an unmistakable warning to others to “investigate at your peril.”
The Guild therefore
condemned the arrest, detention, and criminal prosecution of Ojukwu, demanding his immediate release on bail.
Ojukwu was remanded on November 10 by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja after pleading not guilty to a 12-count charge bordering on alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
The charges, which also name FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo as a defendant, stem from investigative reports questioning public spending by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
Specifically, Ojukwu’s investigation exposed an alleged payment of over ₦147 million to an Abuja-based restaurant for the construction of classrooms and a skills acquisition centre at a primary school in Lagos—projects whose existence and contractor capacity were called into question.
Citing Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantee freedom of expression and mandate the media to hold the government accountable, the NGE outlined five core demands.
Alongside Ojukwu’s immediate release on bail, the Guild called for a comprehensive review of the criminal charges against both Ojukwu and Soyombo, an end to the abuse of cybersecurity laws by law enforcement agencies to harass journalists, and transparent investigations into the alleged misuse of public funds rather than the criminalisation of whistleblowers and reporters.
The NGE further urged the judiciary to safeguard fundamental human rights and ensure that court processes are not weaponised to silence critical voices.
