FIJ announced his release on its website on Friday, May 10.
Ojukwu, who was reportedly detained for a purported violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act, spent 10 days in police custody.
The journalist went missing on Wednesday, May 1, and was unreachable as his numbers were switched off and his whereabouts were unknown to colleagues, family, and friends.
Twenty-four hours after he went missing, FIJ made a missing person report at police stations in the area where Ojukwu was headed.
Meanwhile, the digital media house in a statement signed by its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, had announced that it was going to explore all permissible legal means to get justice for the ‘abducted’ reporter.
FIJ in the statement on their X (formerly Twitter) page noted that “moments like this are a refreshing reminder of the potency of a united public to hold power to account.
“We are taking advice from our lawyers and will explore all legally permissible means to seek justice for Daniel Ojukwu and prevent a recurrence of such blatant abuse of power and attack on press freedom.”
Managing Partner of Slingstone LP, FIJ’s attorney, Abimbola Ojenike, after the journalist’s release, said Ojukwu’s case was one of the most egregious cases of human rights violation and misuse of the powers of the police against journalists.
“This will not go unchallenged. There’s a significant public interest in Daniel’s human rights enforcement action that goes beyond just this violation. The constitutional right to free speech is dead if journalists can no longer expose the malfeasance in government officials without fear or oppression,” the lawyer said.
In another development, Ojukwu, late Friday evening, took to X (formerly Twitter) to appreciate everyone who stood by him, adding, “It has been an overwhelming past few days and it may take a while for me to fully come to terms with all that has happened so far.”
Earlier, the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department released the detained journalist on bail.
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism reporter was released to two directors in the Federal Civil Service who stood as sureties for his conditional bail.
The directors were mandated to submit two passport photographs of themselves to the FCID, and asked to provide Ojukwu to the police whenever the need arises.
Impeccable senior police sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to speak on the matter, revealed the development in separate interviews on Friday.