By Olawale Lamina
The 2023 GovSpend Media Fellows have expressed concern over the abduction, arrest and continued detention of Daniel Ojukwu, an Investigative Journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and a member of the GovSpend Media Fellowship.
The group made the call In a press statement, (a copy of which was made available to The Pinnacle Times) jointly issued on Monday, in response to the incident,
The group condemned the actions of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who on May1, 2024 abducted and unlawfully detained Daniel Ojukwu.
The statement by GovSpend Media Fellows reads, “it is troubling that the authorities have disregarded the constitution they swore to uphold by subjecting Daniel to false imprisonment.
“These actions go against the purported image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, especially coming on the heels of World Press Freedom Day.”
It maintains that Daniel Ojukwu’s investigative work, along with that of other GovSpend fellows, has been instrumental in uncovering corruption across various levels of government, potentially saving the federal government a significant amount of public funds.
“Daniel Ojukwu’s current predicament is connected to one of the investigative reports under BudgIT’s GovSpend Media Fellowship, which exposed discrepancies in government expenditure and violations of the Procurement Act in executing federal government projects in Lagos and Ogun States.
The group noted that, “Daniel explored the data provided by the Federal Government on the National Open Treasury Portal to expose violations of the laws by the office of Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Assistant to the President Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs).
“It has also been reported that Muiz Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former National Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), submitted the petition, which led to the abduction of Daniel Ojukwu by the Nigerian Police Force.
GovSpend Media Fellows urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene immediately by instructing the Inspector General of Police to release Daniel Ojukwu without delay.
“Furthermore, we encourage the authorities to cease their unconstitutional actions and respect the rights of journalists and whistleblowers in Nigeria. “We condemn this gross violation of human rights and all unjust actions targeted at journalists for their commitment to truth and transparency,” the statement emphasized.
Govspend Media Fellowship is an initiative of BudgIT dedicated to promoting accountability and transparency in government expenditures.
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