By Joy Odor Abuja
A storm of outrage is rising against the Nigeria Police Force as Global Rights and other Civic Groups accuse officers of weaponizing the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 to muzzle press freedom, intimidate critics, and erode Nigeria’s fragile civic space.
In a strongly worded open letter to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Global Rights’ Executive Director, Abiodun Baiyewu warned that the “persistent and unlawful abuse” of Section 24 of the Act is pushing Nigeria toward mass censorship and repression.
The Group reminded the Police that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and press freedom as non-negotiable pillars of democracy.
“These rights are not mere privileges,” Baiyewu stressed. “They are the bedrock of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”
Recent arrests highlight the crisis. In 2024, investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu was arrested after exposing alleged corruption in the Presidency. Just this week, Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa was detained over a story on neglect at Kangiwa General Hospital, Kebbi State.
These cases, Global Rights noted, are part of a disturbing pattern: between January and August 2025 alone, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) documented 54 verified cases of press freedom violations, most involving security agencies and rooted in the Cybercrime Act.
Originally passed in 2015 to fight cyber fraud and harmful online crimes, the Cybercrime Act has instead become a tool for silencing dissent, critics argue.
Even though Section 24 was narrowed by a 2024 amendment, police continue to enforce its earlier vague provisions.
“This selective application of the law is undemocratic,” Baiyewu warned. “Defamation is a civil matter, not a criminal offence. Using police powers to criminalize speech is unlawful.”
Global Rights recalled the 2022 ECOWAS Court ruling in SERAP v. Nigeria, which declared Section 24 incompatible with both the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights-treaties Nigeria is bound to respect.
The Group urged the Inspector General to:
Deprioritize arrests under the anti-expression provisions of the Cybercrime Act.
Work with the Justice Ministry, civil society, and other stakeholders to develop clear guidelines for police officers on enforcement.
Publicly reaffirm commitment to press freedom and civic rights under Nigerian and international law.
For Global Rights, the harassment of journalists and activists by police is more than unlawful, it is a dangerous step toward authoritarianism.
“Nigeria cannot strengthen its democracy by silencing dissent,” the letter warned. “Protecting civic freedoms is the pathway to accountability, transparency, and good governance.”
The ball is now in the IGP’s court, but civic actors insist: unless the Nigeria Police halts this trend, Nigeria’s democracy itself will remain under siege.
