The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to stop the use of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act to target journalists, critics, and citizens expressing their views online.
In a statement released on Sunday, SERAP said the controversial law is being used to harass and detain people for peacefully exercising their right to free expression. The group described provisions of the Act-especially those criminalizing “insult” and “cyberstalking”-as tools for suppressing dissent and press freedom.
SERAP expressed concern over the continued use of what it called “vaguely worded” sections of the law to intimidate those who criticize the government or expose corruption. “The arrest and detention of journalists, bloggers, and social media users under the guise of ‘cyberstalking’ or ‘defamation’ violates the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and access to information,” SERAP said, citing Section 39 of Nigeria’s Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The organization urged the Tinubu administration to release all individuals detained under the Cybercrimes Act for peaceful expression and called for a moratorium on the law’s enforcement. SERAP also encouraged the government to work with the National Assembly to review and amend sections of the Act that contradict human rights standards.
Civil society and media groups have increasingly criticized the Cybercrimes Act, arguing that it is being used to stifle the press and silence whistleblowers. Recent cases of journalists and media professionals arrested under the law have drawn condemnation from both local and international rights organizations.
