Citing its use by authorities to harass journalists, bloggers, activists, and critics throughout Nigeria, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to repeal the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
During a press conference in Lagos on Saturday, commemorating World Press Day, Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director of SERAP, and Iyobosa Uwugiaren, General Secretary of the NGE, expressed apprehensions regarding the persistent abuse of the Act, specifically Section 24 concerning cyberstalking, by law enforcement agencies to suppress dissent and infringe upon press freedom.
According to SERAP’s Deputy Director: “We urge the Attorney General to advise President Bola Tinubu to promptly obey all outstanding court judgments, including the ECOWAS Court judgement directing the Federal Government to repeal the repressive Cybercrimes Act and bring it in conformity with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations and commitments.
“Authorities at all levels are using the Cybercrime Act and regulations disguised as broadcasting codes to intimidate journalists and critics,” he added.
According to him, the pattern of repression, arbitrary arrests, malicious prosecutions, and unjust detentions targeting individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression has gotten worse as a result of the federal and state governments’ passive acts.
He went on to say: “Authorities at all levels are using the Cybercrime Act and regulations disguised as broadcasting codes to intimidate journalists and critics.
“These actions reflect a worsening pattern of repression, arbitrary arrests, malicious prosecutions, and unlawful detentions targeting those exercising their right to freedom of expression,” he added.
In a March 2022 ruling, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that Section 24 was arbitrary, ambiguous, and in violation of Articles 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He emphasised that the 2024 amendment of the Act did not address these issues.
The amended crime of cyberstalking, according to Mr Oluwadare, is nonetheless broad, ambiguously worded, and prone to misuse. Cyberstalking, he added, is defined by Section 58 as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear”—a definition that an opponent’s claim gives authorities broad leeway to censor expression.
He further claims that the ‘Cybercrime Act is a tool for oppression’. He states: “The Act continues to be used as a tool of repression. Stories published online, even when factual, have been deemed offensive or annoying and subjected to criminal prosecution. Journalists are being targeted simply for doing their jobs.”
He emphasised that in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Nigeria fell 10 spots to 122nd rank. In 2024, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) documented 110 verified press attacks, which is more than the total for 2023, he said. He pointed out that the 2023 and 2024 reports from Freedom House documented a decrease in internet freedom and a rise in the arbitrary detention of journalists and bloggers. In 2024, he said, several journalists were arrested under defamation or cyberstalking laws, such as Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), who was incarcerated for ten days due to a corruption expose.
He emphasised that in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Nigeria fell 10 spots to 122nd rank. In 2024, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) documented 110 verified press attacks, which is more than the total for 2023, he said.
However, he pointed out that the 2023 and 2024 reports from Freedom House documented a decrease in internet freedom and a rise in the arbitrary detention of journalists and bloggers. In 2024, he said, several journalists were arrested under defamation or cyberstalking laws, such as Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), who was incarcerated for ten days due to a corruption expose.
He stated: “These actions not only violate press freedom and human rights but also flout court orders. The impunity enjoyed by perpetrators exacerbates the hostile environment for media and civil society.”
According to Mr. Uwugiaren, the two organisations made several demands, including that law enforcement agencies immediately cease their enforcement of the Cybercrime Act, that the Act and other oppressive laws be thoroughly reviewed to bring them into compliance with the Nigerian Constitution and international commitments, that all individuals detained for peaceful expression be released unconditionally, and that President Tinubu order state governors and security agencies to uphold press freedom and human rights.
He urged adherence to all pending court rulings, including the ECOWAS Court’s decision on Section 24, and a halt to proposed legislation aiming to further regulate social media or restrict civil society. He also called for a comprehensive, open investigation into violations against media workers and activists.
The NGE’s General Secretary went on to say: “We urge the National Assembly to drop all bills targeting free speech and instead prioritise legislative reforms that safeguard civic space.
“We also call on the international community to hold Nigerian authorities accountable and press for urgent legal reforms,” he added.
Former Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian newspaper, Martins Onoja spoke on the fringes of the event and called Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act “ambiguous and vague,” enabling state officials to arbitrarily jail people for voicing criticism.
The Guardian boss said: “The section gives room for security agencies and state actors to simply arrest anyone they do not like, even when no clear offence has been committed.
“This is dangerous for democracy. The Constitution already provides legal remedies for defamation or libel. There is no need to detain people using the police simply because they expressed themselves online,” he added.
BrandSpur Nigeria news desk reports that he pointed to larger governance shortcomings that citizens have a right to challenge, criticising what he called the growing trend of employing cyberstalking laws to muzzle dissenting opinions. He stated: “There’s food inflation, collapsing enterprises, soaring transport costs — people are entitled to complain. But instead of addressing the substance of these complaints, leaders rely on vague legal tools like Section 24 to suppress public expression.”
He also bemoaned the lack of public engagement in the legislative process, stressing that National Assembly choices are routinely decided without consultation. He pointed to a breakdown in the separation of powers and growing executive overreach as evidenced by the naming of a National Assembly library after a serving president. He said: “We’re not asking for a favour. This is about defending democracy. When public officers fail, citizens have a constitutional right to speak up, not to be silenced.”
Eze Anaba, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), also spoke at the occasion and claimed that journalism is becoming more and more criminalised through the Cybercrime Act. He had this to say: “Instead of discussing how Nigerian media can rise to international standards, we’re forced to talk about how security agencies are repressing the press. All a powerful person has to do is make a call, and a journalist is arrested or abducted sometimes by police, sometimes by the military.”
He maintained that there are already enough provisions in Nigeria’s legal system, such as those about libel and defamation, to address false information and fake news. He emphasised that Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution, which requires the media to hold the government responsible, is violated by the ongoing application of the Cybercrime Act to jail journalists. Adding: “There’s no perfect media anywhere, but using draconian laws like this stifles progress and undermines accountability.”
Imoni Amarere, Executive Director of DAAR Communications Plc, echoed these opinions when he said that the Cybercrime Act threatened democratic freedoms.
According to him: “The Act criminalises even the air we breathe. In a democracy, we cannot criminalise criticism. The right to question government actions is fundamental.”
Citing court decisions that declared portions of the Act illegal, he urged for the Act’s total repeal rather than just its revision. He has this to say: “The Act contradicts the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights obligations. A responsible government should obey those court rulings and repeal them entirely.”
Rights organisations have criticised the 2015 Cybercrime Act and its 2024 amendment, claiming that its ambiguous wording invites misuse. The most common reason for arresting journalists and activists is Section 24, which deals with cyberstalking and internet harassment.
