In a bid to tackle the challenge of data breaches and Nigeria’s weak legal framework, Accountability Lab, Nigeria (AL) has commenced a two-day Digital Rights Innovation Lab training for judicial actors on the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

The training, organized by AL in partnership with NEDemocracy, Spaces4Change, Digicivic, and Paradigm Initiative, was designed to equip judicial actors with the skills to fill the knowledge gap, enhance compliance, and protect citizens’ data privacy and rights.

Speaking at the opening in Abuja, AL Country Director, Mr. Odeh Friday, noted that the Digital Rights Innovation Lab was initiated to draw lessons from what rights organizations have been learning in the field, particularly from the #EndSars# protest, which arose from the Twitter ban in Nigeria.

Disclosing that the body has worked on other thematic areas such as environmental justice and procurement integrity, which focuses more on public finance management, Friday noted that the public interest organization is now working to ensure that governance, laws, and policies of government actually serve the people.

In his keynote address, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Tony Ojukwu, who expressed concerns over the rise of surveillance, censorship, data breaches, and online abuse, stressed the need for robust enforcement mechanisms, ethical innovation, and a deeper understanding of the role of rights in Nigeria’s digital ecosystems.

Noting that digital rights, which currently encompass freedom of expression, privacy, access to information, and protection from online harm, are not optional in the digital era, Ojukwu advised stakeholders to recognize the evolving threats to these rights as they embrace the potential of digital platforms.

He called on governments, especially the justice sector, as well as civil society, private sector actors, and individuals, to work together to ensure that digital rights are protected across geographies and communities.