President Bola Tinubu’s administration has been criticized for allegedly weaponizing the Cybercrimes Act to silence journalists, critics, and citizens.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, made the criticism at a press conference held Saturday in Lagos to commemorate the 2025 World Press Freedom Day.
Both organizations rejected what they described as the frequent misuse of the Cybercrime Act to arrest and imprison individuals for peacefully expressing their opinions online.
They observed that the amended Cybercrime Act, particularly the controversial Section 24 on so-called cyberstalking, has become the regime’s preferred tool for silencing dissent, censoring the media, and intimidating anyone courageous enough to question those in power.
They described the law as unclear, arbitrary, and highly susceptible to misuse and observed that it has fostered a climate of fear that stifles freedom of expression in the country.
The bodies therefore called on President Tinubu to order the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and other relevant agencies to cease using the law to arrest and detain journalists, bloggers, and activists.
They also held state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory accountable and called on them to end arbitrary media shutdowns as well as ensure that all charges against media professionals are promptly dropped.
