Government officials, security agencies, and influential public figures are increasingly exploiting legal loopholes, including the Cybercrimes Act and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), to intimidate journalists, activists, and civil society organisations across Nigeria, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) warned on Wednesday.
Government authorities have relied on Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act and SLAPPs to intimidate critics and restrict civic space, a pattern SERAP and NGE described as “entirely inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.”
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The warning was issued during an interactive session and press briefing in Lagos marking World Human Rights Day. The event was themed, “Practical Strategies, Legal Tools, and Collaborative Approaches to Address the Increasing Threats to Civic Space and Media Independence in Nigeria.”
SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare and NGE President Eze Anaba jointly presented the statement, spotlighting how both state and non-state actors, including celebrities, politically exposed persons, and social media influencers, have exploited the law online.
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The group identified the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service (SSS) as the primary agents of harassment, citing repeated cases of unlawful arrests, extrajudicial actions, malicious prosecutions, and the misuse of law enforcement powers to suppress journalism and civil society activities.
Illustrative cases
SERAP spotlighted several ongoing cases that illustrate a growing pattern of repression. On 19 September, the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja arrested Tega Oghenedoro, also known as Fejiro Oliver, the publisher of the investigative platform Secret Reporters.
They transported him to Asaba in Delta State and detained him at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) without granting him access to lawyers or filing any court charges.
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Earlier, on 9 September, Ekiti State police detained Sodeeq Atanda, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), on allegations of cyberbullying, criminal defamation, conspiracy, and blackmail.
Also, the federal government has serially charged Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, under the Cybercrimes Act for social media posts critical of government policies.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Friday Alefia, the publisher of Naija News Today (formerly Asiwaju Media), was whisked away from Lagos to Abuja.
He spent more than six weeks in detention before appearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja and was granted bail after two months with stringent conditions.
The Commissioner of Police is listed as the complainant, while Mr Alefia and Asiwaju Media Company Ltd are named as the first and second defendants, respectively.
The report stated that Mr Alefia’s detention followed a complaint by Chinedu Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, who accused him of publishing allegedly false reports about him.
This newspaper added that the journalist faces five cybercrime charges related to the publication and continues to struggle to meet the strict bail conditions, which require presenting a federal civil service officer as surety for his release.
SSS also filed a SLAPP suit against a professor, Pat Utomi, accusing him of attempting to form a “shadow government,” and last year sued SERAP, seeking N5 million in damages.
SERAP described these actions as a form of “psychological warfare,” designed to instil fear, impose financial and emotional strain, and deter public participation in Nigeria’s democratic processes.
“Abusive legislation, prolonged court battles, and spurious criminal charges undermine democracy, fuel corruption, and deepen human rights violations,” Mr Oluwadare said.
“Criminal defamation and SLAPPs are neither necessary nor proportionate under the Nigerian Constitution or the various human rights treaties Nigeria has ratified.”
SERAP lamented that despite filing a suit before the ECOWAS Court challenging sections of the Cybercrimes Act, the court has yet to hear the case.
Demands on the government
SERAP and NGE called on President Bola Tinubu, state governors, lawmakers, the police, and the SSS to immediately release individuals detained solely for exercising their rights.
They urged the authorities to withdraw SLAPP suits and politically motivated charges, review the Cybercrimes Act along with other restrictive laws, protect journalists and human rights defenders, and respect court judgements and constitutional freedoms.
The groups also appealed to the international community to hold Nigerian authorities accountable for violations of rights.
Cybercrime Act ‘weaponised’
Veteran journalist Richard Akinnola said the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act is increasingly “weaponised by political leaders, particularly state governors,” drawing parallels to the notorious Decree 4 of 1984.
He cited recent cases to illustrate the trend. Police in Kano arrested two men over Facebook posts criticising a road project, while Lagos police issued a wanted notice for Mr Sowore.
In Niger State, police detained Abubakar Mokwa, a postgraduate student at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, for criticising Governor Umaru Bago.
The government also filed multiple cybercrime charges against Mr Oghenedoro.
He further mentioned threats from Katsina government officials and SLAPP lawsuits against SERAP, warning that these actions create a “chilling effect” on the freedoms guaranteed under Section 39 of the Constitution, the ICCPR, and the African Charter.
Editors call for coordinated action
An interactive session led by veteran journalist Gbenga Adefaye brought editors together to discuss strategies for protecting press freedom.
They urged the adoption of a common framework to respond to threats, the creation of a network of lawyers for defence, active legislative engagement to reform restrictive media laws, and stronger newsroom autonomy alongside ethical journalism.
The editors also acknowledged internal challenges, including poor funding, commercial pressures, and the impact of unregulated online publishers undermining credibility.
Participants warned that Nigeria’s harsh economic climate is forcing media organisations into “survival tactics incompatible with ethical journalism.”
They also discussed human rights abuses, including alleged killings by soldiers during protests.
Mr Adefaye added by urging editors to adopt a unified approach, emphasising collaboration, professional integrity, and pressure for legal reforms.
CJID openness index reveals uneven media freedom
PREMIUM TIMES reported that attacks on media practitioners are rising nationwide, according to the Centre for Journalism and Innovation Development (CJID) Openness Index. Between December 2023 and November 2024, 48 press freedom violations were perpetrated by security agents.
The CJID Index, which evaluates Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT across seven dimensions—including political, legal, economic, social, journalistic, treatment of journalists, and gender inclusion—found that Cross River, Ondo, Delta, Katsina, and Ekiti ranked as the top-performing states.
Others like Anambra, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Ebonyi, and Imo recorded the lowest performance. Despite being the media hub, Lagos experienced persistent high-severity violations and ranked 22nd on the perception index.
CJID CEO Dapo Olorunyomi said the Index highlights uneven democratic conditions and is a call to action for policymakers, journalists, civil society actors, and citizens.
“Openness is uneven, often fragile, and must be continuously protected,” he said, warning that without it, elections become performative, governance opaque, and power unchecked.
Civic space shrinking
Earlier, in his opening remark, Mr Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, warned that Nigeria’s civic space is under “escalating restrictions,” citing arbitrary arrests, digital surveillance, abductions, website blocking, and the rising use of SLAPPs to intimidate journalists and civil society actors.
“There is a proverb that says an injury to one is an injury to all. Civic space, the rule of law, and general expression are under pressure. Collaboration between SERAP and the Guild is essential at this critical time,” he said.
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