Nigerian Travel Journalist Matthew Ojoduma Jailed on Terrorism Charge in Benin, Freed After Months in Detention

December 25, 2025 – Nigeria – 

A Nigerian travel journalist, Matthew Ojoduma, was detained in the Benin Republic earlier in 2025 on a terrorism charge that press freedom advocates called unfounded, highlighting persistent threats to journalists operating in West Africa. Ojoduma, founder of the Africa Views YouTube channel, which focuses on travel, environmental reporting, and regional stories, was arrested by Beninese police on January 29, 2025, while crossing the northern border town of Porga into Burkina Faso with his camera, drone, and laptop. He was held in detention for more than nine months before the case against him was ultimately dropped in late November 2025, and he was released after a court concluded that the evidence did not support the allegations against him.

Benin’s Special Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) formally charged Ojoduma on February 13, 2025, accusing him of membership in a terrorist organisation — a claim he consistently denied. The charge was reportedly based on the authorities’ assertion that his decision to travel through a high-risk border area suggested links to extremist groups, despite a lack of credible evidence. At a May 19 hearing, CRIET acknowledged it lacked jurisdiction over the case and referred it to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but continued pre-trial detention was ordered in July 2025, keeping Ojoduma in custody at a prison in Cotonou.

Throughout his detention, Ojoduma’s family and press rights groups pressed for his release, arguing that the terrorism charge was spurious and exploited legal mechanisms to penalise a journalist for his professional work. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) repeatedly called on Beninese authorities to drop the case and urged the Nigerian government to intervene to ensure fair treatment for its citizens, emphasising that detaining a journalist on such allegations without substantiated evidence undermines press freedom and violates international standards on free expression and due process.

Ojoduma’s detention took place amid broader regional security concerns, as northern Benin and neighbouring states have faced increased insurgent activity linked to extremist groups in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. Authorities cited this context when defending their actions, but searches of Ojoduma’s devices reportedly uncovered no material indicating involvement in terrorism, and his work was confirmed to focus on travel and environmental journalism rather than militant activity.

The case drew attention to the vulnerability of journalists covering mobility, conflict-affected regions, and cross-border topics, and raised alarms among media freedom advocates about the use of broad terrorism statutes to detain reporters without clear evidence. Ojoduma’s release has been welcomed by press rights defenders as a necessary corrective, but calls remain for stronger legal protections for journalists in the region.

Reference – 

Nigerian journalist Matthew Ojoduma cleared, released after 9+ month detention in Benin