Get Guardian on GoogleFG under Tinubu won’t gag media, minister assures
Amnesty International Nigeria (AIN) and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have called for the release of a Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reporter, Daniel Ojukwu, who was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja over reports he authored in 2023 on a presidential aide.
But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, assured that the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will neither gag the media nor suppress journalists for expressing views contrary to government’s positions.
The organisations also want the government to stop the prosecution of Ojukwu and FIJ founder, Fisayo Soyombo, over the reports on the expenditure of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
Ojukwu was remanded by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to 12 counts of cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
The judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, ordered that he remain in custody until December 1, 2o26, when his bail application is due to be heard.
Amnesty International made its appeal in a Facebook post yesterday.
SERAP made a similar post on Tuesday.
The international human rights organisation stated that the prosecution raised concerns about the treatment of journalists who investigate allegations of corruption.
“The continued prosecution and detention of Ojukwu appear to be part of a broader pattern of using the criminal justice system to punish journalists for exposing allegations of corruption and holding public officials accountable,” it said.
SERAP urged President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to secure Ojukwu’s release and end the use of criminal defamation and cyberstalking charges against journalists doing their job.
The organisation linked the case to FIJ reports published between November 2023 and January 2024, which raised questions about payments of N147.1 million and N47.5 million for classroom construction projects.
IDRIS, while fielding questions from journalists during a news conference ahead of the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF), reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting press freedom and freedom of expression.
The WPRF will be hosted by Nigeria from November 15 to 22, 2026, in Abuja.
The minister, however, stressed that media professionals must balance these rights with responsibility and professionalism.
“Freedom of expression must not be used as an excuse to spread misinformation, rumours and falsehood. Journalists must uphold accuracy, fairness and accountability in their reporting,” he said.
The minister addressed concerns that government efforts to combat misinformation and fake news could be used as a pretext to restrict press freedom.
He said: “Democracy cannot thrive without freedom of expression. At no time has the President come across to me as someone interested in gagging the press or trampling on freedom of expression or freedom of the press.”
Idris added that President Tinubu had consistently encouraged him to ensure that the media continued to discharge its responsibilities freely.
