Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mrs Abibat Bankole-Apena, has called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts in sensitising Nigerians about the laws regulating social media use to prevent citizens from inadvertently violating them.

Speaking during a panel session at the two-day Progressive Digital Media Summit held in Abuja, Bankole-Apena, who is also the Convener of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Lawyers (PBAT) stressed the importance of civic education on digital rights and responsibilities.

The summit, themed “Unveiling the Critical Role of New Media in National Development,” brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, and the tech ecosystem.

Bankole-Apena highlighted the need for users of digital platforms to be familiar with relevant legislation, including the Cybercrimes Act, noting that these legal documents are readily available online.

“There is a pressing need to educate and reorient Nigerians on the proper use of social media. People must understand the parameters within which they can operate. There must be regulation, but it should not stifle freedom of speech,” she said.

She further urged content creators, social media influencers, and tech innovators to verify information before sharing it and to use their platforms responsibly, in ways that uplift society and foster shared values.

Earlier, the Director of Legal Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, spotlighted Nigeria’s security breakthroughs in the past two years while raising concerns about the growing threats posed by social media misuse.

Mijinyawa raised concerns about the growing threats posed by social media misuse and outlined a threefold agenda – gains in national security, digital threats to stability, and strategies for responsible digital citizenship.

He lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as the engine behind security-sector reforms, improved coordination among intelligence agencies, and renewed public trust in state institutions.

“In the last two years, we have seen measurable, undeniable progress in the fight to secure this nation. It hasn’t been easy, but we are moving forward,” he said.

On the legal front, he noted the progress with the resumption of terrorism trials under the Kainji Phase 4 initiative and intensified prosecution of terror financiers with help from the Ministry of Justice and international partners.

He, therefore, issued a stark warning about the growing misuse of social media, which he described as “a battlefield harder to see, but no less dangerous.

“Fake news spreads faster than truth. Deepfakes distort reality. In the wrong hands, social media can deceive, divide, and destroy,” he said, adding that online platforms have been used to glorify coups, incite violence, and manipulate national currency markets.