By Adedapo Adesanya

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Cybercrimes Act.

The parties claimed that the law targets “journalists, activists, critics and other Nigerians peacefully expressing their views online, and release those in custody across the country under the legislation.”

The groups said, “The use of the Cybercrimes Act to lock up people peacefully expressing their views sends a chilling message to Nigerians that rights won’t get priority under the Tinubu administration,” noting that, “Using laws that don’t conform with constitutional and guarantees and international human rights standards – like the Cybercrimes Act – erodes democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.”

The statement followed the press conference on Unchecked Injustice: How Authorities Are Weaponising the Cybercrimes Act to Stifle Peaceful Dissent and Media Freedom in Nigeria held Saturday at the Radisson Hotel, Ikeja.

The event was jointly organised by SERAP and NGE to mark the World Press Freedom Day. The press conference was attended by senior members of the media, civil society groups and other stakeholders.

The organisations also said, “Nigerian authorities at all levels should show that they tolerate peaceful dissent and media freedom if the Nigerian people are to have any chance of holding them accountable on their constitutional oath of office, commitments and promises.”

“We are concerned that Nigerian authorities have continued to use the Cybercrime Act to normalize repression of the rights of journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, opposition politicians, artists and other Nigerians.

“We note that the suppression of the press in recent times takes various forms ranging from extrajudicial to unlawful detentions, disappearances, malicious prosecutions and wrongful use of both legislation and law enforcement,” they added.

Drawing examples, the parties alleged that since the amendment of the Cybercrimes Act in 2024, Nigerian authorities at all levels have consistently used the provisions of the law, including the provisions of section 24 on “cyberstalking” to harass, intimidate, arbitrarily arrest and detain and unfairly prosecute users of social media, activists, and journalists.

“Nigerian authorities at all levels increasingly use criminal defamation laws and other repressive laws to crack down on human rights and peaceful dissent, bringing frivolous lawsuits against journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists.

“We are also concerned about the persistence of threats to journalists’ safety, and the potential chilling effect of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and harassment, including by security agencies and politicians,” the groups added.

“We urge President Tinubu and his government to publicly call on Nigeria’s state governors, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) to uphold and ensure full respect for the rights of everyone in the country, including journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and activists.

“We call on President Tinubu and his government, the country’s 36 governors and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister to genuinely uphold press freedom, ensure access to information to all Nigerians, obey court judgments, and respect the rule of law,” they noted.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Three persons believed to be behind the Q-Net scam in Nigeria have been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects, who allegedly operated the scheme under the name Mighty Infinity Millionaire Limited, were arrested by officials of the agency on Wednesday, May 1, 2025, in Abuja.

They are Olaniyan Joshua, Oyetunde Julius Akano, and Victor Oluwale, and are currently undergoing interrogation.

A statement from the EFCC said the accused persons falsely claimed to be representatives of Q-net, a global e-commerce and direct selling company.

While Q-net has since denied any link with the suspects and their activities, investigations further revealed they were equally running a fraudulent university training in pavilions and under trees, offering fake Bachelor of Science degrees in Medicine, Nursing, Cybersecurity, Computer Studies, and Geology, among others with a false claim of affiliation with Quest International University, Malaysia.

Student victims were charged between N1.2 million and N1.3 million as registration fees from which the suspected scammers raked in hundreds of millions in proceeds of crime.

Earlier on March 24, 2025, the commission raided Q-net University at Compensation Layout, Gwagwalada, FCT, Abuja, and arrested 133 suspects.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Nigerians may lose access to the social media platforms operated by Meta, a report by the BBC has said.

If this happens, it will not be the first time social media users in the country have experienced such blackout.

Recall that in 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter after the platform removed a post by the immediate past president of the country, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, for violating its rules.

The embargo was lifted in January 2022 after seven months.

Last week, Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal on Friday ordered WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated to pay a $220 million penalty and $35,000 to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) within 60 days over data discrimination practices in Nigeria.

The tribunal’s three-member panel, led by Mr Thomas Okosun, in a verdict last Friday, dismissed the appeal by WhatsApp and Meta Platforms Incorporated regarding the $220 million penalty imposed by the FCCPC for alleged discriminatory practices in Nigeria.

In a report, the BBC said Meta argued that if it is forced to pay the fine, its users in Nigeria may lose access to Facebook and Instagram.

“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the company said in the court papers.

If this happens, it may greatly affect content creators, who rely on the platform for earnings.

Facebook remains one of the most popular social media platforms in the country like TikTok and Twitter, now known as X after Mr Elon Musk acquired it.

Meta is battling with different fines in Nigeria, including a $32.8 million sanction from the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) alleged Meta over data privacy laws, and a $37.5 million fine for unapproved advertising.