• SERAP, editors warn of cybercrime law misuse to silence journalists, activists
• Watchdogs: Arbitrary arrests, SLAPP suits, media attacks threaten democracy
• Data shows rising assaults on reporters as civic space shrinks further
• Groups seek end to harassment, review of repressive laws, release of detainees
• CAPPA flags systemic failures undermining citizens’ rights
• Activists, security experts highlight constitutional gaps fuelling insecurity

Human Rights Day 2025 brought renewed attention to widespread rights violations across Nigeria yesterday as watchdog groups decried police extortion, arbitrary detentions, media repression, overcrowded prisons and entrenched impunity, urging federal and state authorities to implement urgent reforms to safeguard civic freedoms and vulnerable citizens.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) warned that Nigeria is witnessing a dangerous escalation in state-backed repression, alleging that security agencies and political actors are increasingly weaponising repressive laws, including the Cybercrime Act and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), to silence journalists, activists and civil society organisations.

In a joint statement signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP Deputy Director, and Onuoha Ukeh, General Secretary of the NGE, the groups said the trend, which has intensified ahead of this year’s Human Rights Day, poses a severe threat to democracy, civic freedoms and the nation’s commitment to international human rights obligations.

They argued that the use of legislation to suppress dissent violates the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and press freedom, and contradicts Nigeria’s global commitments under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. They accused security agencies of “weaponising” Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 — the cyberstalking provision — to intimidate critics under the guise of enforcing the law.

“As the world marks Human Rights Day, Nigeria continues to witness an alarming pattern of unlawful arrests, malicious prosecutions, and extrajudicial intimidation of journalists and activists,” the groups said. “These actions erode democracy, weaken the rule of law, and create a chilling effect across the civic space.”

SERAP and the NGE cited several cases to illustrate what they described as systematic repression. In August 2024 alone, at least 56 journalists were assaulted or arrested while covering protests. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Nigeria slipped ten places to 122nd in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting deteriorating conditions for reporters.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), in its Press Attack Tracker, recorded 110 verified attacks on journalists in 2024, surpassing incidents recorded in the whole of 2023 within just the first three quarters of the year. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) similarly noted that at least three journalists have been detained since August 2025 for alleged violations of the Cybercrime Act, despite recent amendments meant to prevent abuse.

Among the most cited examples is the continued detention of investigative journalist and publisher of Secret Reporters, Tega Gobernadora (known as Fejiro Oliver), who has been held since September 18, 2025, on accusations of cyberbullying. He was first arrested in Abuja before being flown to Asaba by police operatives.

Another case mentioned is that of Media Room Hub publisher Azuka Francisca Ogujiuba, who was arrested twice in August after publishing a court injunction regarding a disputed land sale. She was detained for hours on her first arrest and three days on the second, during which her phone was seized.

Similarly, FIJ reporter Sodeeq Atanda was detained in Ekiti State on allegations of cyberbullying and criminal defamation after honouring a police invitation linked to FIJ’s reporting on sexual harassment allegations at a university. He spent 11 hours in custody before being released without charge.

The organisations also noted the ongoing prosecution of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, who faces Cybercrime Act and criminal defamation charges over social media posts alleged to be critical of President Bola Tinubu. The case was filed by the Federal Government and the Department of State Services (DSS).

They added that the DSS has filed SLAPP suits against public figures such as Professor Pat Utomi, who was accused of attempting to set up a “shadow government,” and against SERAP itself over claims of an unauthorised office invasion. These examples, they said, highlight the weaponisation of judicial processes to suppress dissent.

“These cases illustrate a dangerous and growing pattern of harassment, intimidation and misuse of the law,” the statement read. “Rather than advancing justice, these actions undermine rights guaranteed under the Constitution and contribute to an environment of fear.”

SERAP and the NGE emphasised that suppressing journalists and activists carries far-reaching consequences: weakening public accountability, encouraging corruption, fuelling misinformation and deepening Nigeria’s human rights crisis. “No nation will progress under such conditions,” they warned.

The groups criticised the continued use of cybercrime laws despite a pending suit before the ECOWAS Court challenging the constitutionality of parts of the Cybercrime Act 2024, particularly Section 24. They argued that the provision is incompatible with section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.

To reverse the shrinking civic space, SERAP and the NGE called on President Tinubu, state governors, lawmakers and security agencies to end all forms of intimidation and harassment of journalists, bloggers, activists and civil society groups. They urged the immediate release of all persons detained solely for exercising their rights and the withdrawal of SLAPP suits targeting critics.

They further urged the National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive review of the Cybercrime Act and other restrictive laws to align them with Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations. The international community, they added, should pressure Nigeria to uphold its commitments by demanding the release of individuals detained for peaceful expression.

“Nigerian authorities must protect journalists, activists and CSOs, not persecute them,” the statement concluded. “Defamation laws and SLAPPs must not be used to silence legitimate criticism or restrict public participation in democratic processes.”

CAPPA flags systemic failures undermining citizens’ rights
THIS was as Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s worsening human rights record, warning that systemic governance failures are stripping citizens of dignity, security, and fundamental freedoms.

In a statement issued by its Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe, the organisation said widespread impunity, insecurity and socio-economic hardship continue to erode the rights and welfare of millions.

CAPPA argued that state neglect, abuse of power and the inability of institutions to protect vulnerable groups have created a widening gap between constitutional guarantees and lived realities. It said Nigerians increasingly face violence, deprivation and injustice, with many left to navigate insecurity without meaningful state protection.

The organisation described 2025 as “a year of grim reminders,” citing 570 killings and 278 kidnappings recorded nationwide in April, alongside the 275,256 human-rights abuse complaints documented by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in May. These figures, CAPPA said, reflect a society grappling with “levels of violence and state neglect incompatible with any notion of a rights-respecting nation.”

It highlighted persistent violations, including attacks on women and girls, mass abductions, and repeated failures to prevent targeted assaults on communities, schools and vulnerable populations. The group noted that civil and political rights are increasingly under threat, while social and economic rights are “in free fall” due to inflation, insecurity and the absence of social protection.

CAPPA also expressed worry over continuing assaults on journalists and media workers, stating that at least 69 attacks have been recorded this year, 74 per cent of them perpetrated by state actors, according to a 2025 report by Media Rights Agenda (MRA). It recalled that at least 24 unarmed protesters were killed during the 2024 #EndBadGovernance demonstrations, with no accountability to date.

“When those charged with protecting rights become their violators, democracy itself is endangered,” the statement warned. The organisation described the widespread lack of access to necessities such as safe water, adequate housing, healthcare, and secure livelihoods as urgent human rights emergencies, not merely economic challenges. It said millions remain vulnerable and desperate as soaring prices, unsafe communities and institutional failures deepen inequalities.

CAPPA urged the Federal Government and other duty-bearers to take decisive steps to “reverse the dangerous trajectory” of rights violations. International Human Rights Day, it noted, should serve as a moment for reflection and a renewed commitment to rebuild systems that guarantee safety, justice and dignity.

The group called for strengthened oversight of security agencies, protection for journalists and activists, improved capacity for human rights institutions, and targeted reforms to address the structural conditions that leave communities at risk. It added that progress will depend on steady, practical reforms that rebuild public trust and close long-standing protection gaps.

CAPPA urged the government, civil society and partners across sectors to pursue solutions that enable Nigerians to live without fear, deprivation or uncertainty.

Judiciary, activists, security experts highlight constitutional gaps driving insecurity
ALSO, a former Deputy Director of Defence Administration at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Navy Commodore Kunle Olawunmi (rtd), called for a comprehensive constitutional review as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, arguing that several provisions in the current framework undermine national cohesion, public safety and citizens’ rights.

He spoke at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch Human Rights Day Forum, themed ‘Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials – The Right to Safety and Security.’

Olawunmi said Nigeria’s insecurity challenges stem as much from constitutional contradictions as from operational or tactical failures. He argued that repeated conflicts over religion, identity and federal authority persist because the constitution does not reflect a truly secular state and lacks broad citizen input. He cited sections of the document that reference Sharia structures extensively while failing to acknowledge other faiths, saying this imbalance fuels distrust and weakens national unity. He described the trend of religiously motivated attacks as evidence that constitutional guarantees on freedom of thought, conscience and religion are not translating into real protection.

He said the country faces a constitutional emergency rather than merely a security one. He urged the NBA and citizens to demand reforms, including removing religion from the constitution, teaching the constitution and history in schools, and examining Nigeria’s membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He maintained that weak political will continues to undermine efforts to prosecute sponsors of violent extremism.

At the forum, activist Omoyele Sowore said insecurity persists because Nigeria’s governance structures are designed without consideration for the protection needs of its population. He noted distortions in policing, including the disproportionate number of officers assigned to VIPs, and argued that insecurity has become an entrenched component of political and economic systems. He said structural weaknesses, corruption and leadership failures allow criminality to thrive while citizens hope for external interventions that are unlikely to materialise.

Sowore said the climate of fear has impaired rights across the country, including freedom of movement and political participation, stressing that meaningful change requires confronting systemic problems rather than relying on promises. He also described the treatment of separatist agitators as inconsistent with constitutional rights and indicative of broader governance failures.

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court said that insecurity continues to erode constitutional rights, leaving citizens unable to exercise the freedoms guaranteed by law. She noted that fear of attacks has altered movement patterns and daily life, including in areas perceived as safe. She stressed that the state is obligated to protect life, dignity and liberty, and citizens must begin to demand accountability for security shortfalls.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Olubode Fakeye, speaking on operational realities, said insecurity has overwhelmed government capacity and requires collective responsibility. Drawing on his experience in Adamawa, he said coordination among the police, the military, and community vigilantes strengthened resistance against insurgent attacks, demonstrating that no agency can address insecurity alone.