I shared a cell with confessed murderers, didn’t eat for two days– FIJ reporter, Ojukwu

A reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu, who was abducted by men of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police and regained freedom after 10 days in captivity, tells GODFREY GEORGE his detention story.

How long have you been a journalist?

First of all, my name is Daniel Ojukwu. I work with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Nigeria. I am an investigative journalist. I do social justice, security, and conflict reporting as well as finance, business, and data reporting. I am from Abia State but I am based in Lagos. I have practised active journalism since 2017. This should be my seventh year.

Did you ever anticipate the possibility of facing arrest due to your work?

Yes, of course. It is what we signed up for. As a journalist, we set out to tell stories that some people somewhere do not want to be told. Every other thing is public relations. This is not my first arrest. I was arrested back in 2019 and was arrested last year. This is the third time I have been arrested as a result of the work I do. But, this would be the first time I would sleep in a cell. Every other time, I get out of the cell before the next day. This is also the longest detention so far.

How were you arrested?

It was on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. It was Workers’ Day. I was supposed to cover a field report on that day but somehow it got rescheduled for the evening. I just ran out to do a few things before that time. I was tracked by a cybercrime unit of the Inspector General of Police. They came in a bus and said they had been looking for me, and that was how the arrest happened.

How many policemen were there?

There were five persons – four men and one woman, and there was a driver. So, I was cuffed and put in their vehicle.

Did they have a warrant of arrest?

They showed me an arrest warrant. I mentioned to them that I needed to make a call to tell my people what had happened but they said no and took my phone away from me. I insisted that I needed to make a call but they said no and so they drove off. This was around Herbert Macauley area, Yaba, Lagos State. They removed the cuffs in the vehicle and started having a chat with me. They said they wanted to see my home. I kept asking them what the case was and they said they would tell me when I got to the station.

I asked why they wanted to get to my house; they said they just wanted to visit my place. I told them I didn’t bring my work home so there was no need. They said we should get to the station. I was taken to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos, and instructed that no one should give me a phone or allow me to make a phone call.  They said they wanted to take a statement. I told them I would love to take a statement in the presence of my lawyer, but they said my lawyer didn’t need to be present if they were going to record me on video.

I insisted that I would love to have my lawyer present but they said I should put what I said in writing so they’d allow me to make a call. I put that down but I was still not allowed to make a call.

At this point, did they make known your offence to you?

You spent 10 days in detention. How does it feel being out?

Hmmm…. To be honest with you, I haven’t fully grasped it. Being away, I didn’t see what was going on on the outside. I was just sleeping and waking up. I pretty much just set my mind to avoid thinking. I was just sleeping and waking up.

How are your family members taking it?

Everyone is fine. I have spoken to them. They are where they are and they are good. During this period, I was able to meet fantastic people. There were corrupt policemen, yes. There is a lot of fraud that goes on in the system. This is not even about my case now. So much money goes into bail, especially for people who don’t have a voice. There was a point where people were not willing to tell me their names because I was a journalist.

But, I also met police officers who would not compromise their standards for any reason. I met people who I would say were not willing to accept the rot in the system; they were willing to fix the system.

All this happened around the time when the world was marking Press Freedom Day. How does it make you feel?

To be frank, (it taught me) nothing. This is because one cannot be a journalist in Nigeria and not know these things. They happen. Before the Cyber Crime Act came into effect, Nigerian journalists kicked against it because it was not the best piece of legislation at all. Every year, Nigeria keeps dropping on the press freedom index. Last year, I was arrested on the exact day of the International Press Freedom. This year, I was in detention on the day it was celebrated. It is something I am used to. You cannot want to do the job without expecting a fightback. That is how it is.