A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) correspondent Daniel Ojukwu at the Kuje Correctional Centre over investigative reports about a former presidential aide.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Tuesday after Ojukwu pleaded not guilty to a 12-count charge of alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
The charges were filed by the Nigeria Police Force over reports published between 2023 and 2024 concerning Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals.
The court rejected a request by Ojukwu's lawyers to allow him to continue enjoying his previous administrative bail, saying his fresh bail application, filed on Monday, was not ready for hearing.
His lawyer, Atanda Kayode, told the court that Ojukwu had not violated any of the conditions attached to his earlier bail.
However, the judge ordered that he remain in custody until December 1, 2026, when his bail application will be heard.
The prosecution alleged that the publications exposed Orelope-Adefulire to "fear of death, violence or bodily harm."
The journalist and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, are named in the case.
Among the reports listed in the charge sheet was a November 2023 investigation which questioned how Orelope-Adefulire's office paid ₦147.1 million to a restaurant for classroom construction at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos.
Another report examined an alleged ₦47.5 million questionable contract, while a January 2024 publication raised concerns about solar panels that reportedly stopped working a week after installation.
The prosecution also sought a bench warrant for Soyombo, who it said was at large.
However, the judge rejected the request, explaining that he had not previously been brought before the court.
Ojukwu's latest detention comes more than two years after his arrest on May 1, 2024, over the same reports.
He was released on May 10 following public pressure from journalists and civil society organisations.
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