CPJ Demands Release of Four Journalists Detained for Report on GTB Bank CEO Alleged Fraud

On September 20, police in Lagos arrested Olurotimi Olawale, editor of the National Monitor newspaper, and Precious Chukwunonso, publisher of a private news platform. Five days later, on September 25, police apprehended Rowland Olonishuwa, a reporter for the Herald newspaper in Kwara State, and Seun Odunlami, publisher of Newsjaunts in Ogun State.

On September 27, all four journalists were charged with violating sections 24(1)(b) and 27 of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act. They were arraigned in a federal court in Lagos over a report implicating Segun Agbaje, CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), in an alleged N1 trillion (US$600 million) fraud.

Despite pleading not guilty, the journalists were remanded at a Lagos correctional center, awaiting a bail hearing initially scheduled for October 4. Though police compelled the journalists to remove their articles, the House of Representatives has since launched an investigation into the matter.

The journalists remain in detention, with their charges amended to a 10-count indictment. The new charges accuse them of making “false and misleading allegations” on social media, intending to “extort” and “threaten” GTB’s management, and causing “harm” to the bank’s reputation.

Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa Programme, denounced their continued detention, stating, “Nigerian authorities should release journalists Olurotimi Olawale, Precious Eze Chukwunonso, Roland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami, and end the increasing criminalization of the press. The additional charges highlight a growing effort to send a chilling message to journalists across the country.”