Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Amnesty International have urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to withdraw the charges against activist Omoyele Sowore, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook owners over Sowore’s alleged critical and ‘anti-Tinubu’ posts on the social media platforms.

SERAP and Amnesty International urged him to direct the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security and law enforcement agencies to immediately stop misusing the judicial processes to silence public criticism and violate Nigerians’ rights using Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) or similar forms of harassment.
 
They also urged him to direct Fagbemi to urgently prepare an anti-SLAPP legislation for the National Assembly, to protect Nigerians from the weaponisation of the justice system by the DSS and other security and law enforcement agencies and to safeguard the right to freedom of expression.

In the letter at the weekend, jointly signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and AI Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, the groups said the weaponisation of the justice system to crack down on peaceful dissent is entirely inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations.
 
According to the groups, a lawsuit challenging the legality and compatibility of the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 with the rights to freedom of expression and information is also pending before the ECOWAS Court.
   
They argued that the use of SLAPP and criminal defamation lawsuits by security and law enforcement agencies with the purpose of silencing criticism is a threat to freedom of expression, noting that SLAPP lawsuits pose serious risks to democracy and the rule of law as they limit public participation.