Stakeholders have called for a review of police welfare, an end to the online parade of suspects, and the establishment of special courts to protect digital rights in Nigeria.

They argued that the Nigeria Police should stop publishing pictures and videos of suspects online until they are proven guilty in a court of law, in line with the constitutional right to the presumption of innocence.

The stakeholders also urged the creation of online or hybrid courts dedicated to digital rights and abuse cases, with an emphasis on timely and accessible justice. They further advocated for increased funding for the police, alongside strict accountability for how resources are utilised.

These demands were contained in a communiqué issued at the close of the second Situation Room Dialogue of the e-RIGHTS project, held on September 11 in Abuja. The project partners, led by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France), convened the high-level meeting, which brought together civil society actors, government and regulatory agencies, and human rights defenders to strengthen the protection and promotion of digital rights in Nigeria.

The initiative forms part of the ongoing e-RIGHTS project, funded by the European Union. The dialogue served as a platform for stakeholders to share insights, address pressing challenges, and propose concrete solutions to the growing threats to digital rights in the country.

Discussions highlighted fragmented laws, a deficit of public trust in state institutions, and a significant gap between legal frameworks and their practical implementation.
The National Assembly was urged to enact a comprehensive law protecting all aspects of digital rights, including children’s rights online, freedom of expression, and internet access, to address the current fragmentation.

Other key recommendations included enhancing police capacity to handle digital rights cases, establishing a feedback mechanism for reported cases of abuse to ensure a responsive system, and training judges on digital rights issues. The judiciary, participants said, must also be strengthened to effectively adjudicate such cases, while increased funding and accountability were sought for members of the Situation Room and other stakeholders.

In her remarks, Angela Uwandu-Iwuchukwu, Country Director of ASF France, noted recent threats of disrupting Nigerians’ access to technological platforms. According to her, any danger of an internet shutdown, or the shutdown of specific platforms, constitutes a direct attack on the collective right to use the internet to express opinions, share and receive information, and sustain the livelihoods and businesses of millions of people.

She stressed that the e-RIGHTS project is responding to such incidents, which the country is currently facing. She added that the project is well-positioned to provide free legal services to citizens, including journalists and activists whose digital rights are threatened. She therefore urged professionals in the sector to take advantage of this resource.
In her remarks, the representative of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria, the project sponsor,

Mrs WynyFred Achu-Egbuson observed the need for more sensitisations on the digital rights of citizens through deliberate actions to ensure a positive impact on digital rights in Nigeria come 2026 and ahead of the 2027 elections.

She commended ASF France for coming out with free massive online course opportunities through the e-rights projects to enable citizens to understand what their digital rights are.
Mrs Achu-Egbuson encouraged civil society organisations and the media to highlight this opportunity so Nigerians can effectively utilise it.

Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Dr Y.Z. Ya’U, stressed the need for collective and individual efforts to ensure that the environment is conducive for the development of digital rights in the country.

He noted that in the last couple of years, there have been instances that have really happened in the context of digital rights in this country.

“Just a few days ago, we saw that the DSS wrote to one of the platform providers to oblige a provider of a particular seed. I think that was going over the infringement of our rights of freedom of expression.

“Again, over the last couple of days, we’ve seen where DSS, for instance, has either arrested or somehow harassed ordinary citizens for a post that they’ve made on Facebook and other platforms. We know that democracy is essentially an informational project. It’s about the exchange of information and the ability to debate ideas,” he said.

Associate Prof of Law, University of Lagos, Dr Abiodun Odusote, in his presentation on Tracking Progress and Persistent Challenges in Nigeria’s Digital Rights Landscape, queried the attitude of arresting alleged digital rights offenders without court orders.