The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has moved detained journalist Daniel Ojukwu to the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who was earlier held incommunicado at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti in Lagos since Wednesday.
Penpushing reports that Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been incommunicado at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, in Lagos where he was kept, in his first communication with the outside world since he was detained on Wednesday, confirmed he had been moved to Abuja.
“I’m currently in Abuja; I am at the NPF-NCCC – that’s the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre,” Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) quoted Ojukwu saying on Sunday morning.
Penpushing further reports that the reporter who went missing on Wednesday with his phone numbers switched off and whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family and friends said he arrived in Abuja on Sunday morning and has been taken to a cell for interrogation.
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), it is recalled on Thursday made a missing person report at police stations in the area where he was headed, while on Friday, a private detective hired by the foundation tracked the reporter’s phone’s last active location to an address in Isheri Olofin, Lagos state.
Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that in similar vein, in March the same Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) invited and grilled the Chairperson of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, in Abuja, during which they mentioned a story authored by Ojukwu.
The story revealed that the senior special assistant to former president Muhammad Buhari on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, paid N147 million to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos state.
Penpushing reports that the Force Public Relations Officer Police speak Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed on Sunday that the Ojukwu was arrested by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police based on a petition written against him.
The police spokesperson added that the head of the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) confirmed to him that the journalist was accused of violating the Cybercrime Prohibition Act 2015.
“It has been confirmed that the journalist, Daniel Ojukwu, was arrested by the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre, Abuja, based on a petition filed against him.It’s a case of violation of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act 2015 and other extant laws of the land. He has a case to answer. This was confirmed to me on Sunday by the CP and head of the centre’, Adejobi said.
Penpushing further reports that the Cybercrime Act is a known law used to persecute journalists and media houses in Nigeria, as well as some sections of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for broadcast stations.
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