MyPosts
News and Politics
Two Dead,
Two Dead, Many Injured In Lagos Road Accidents
Published October 11, 2020
Sodiq Oyeleke
No Fewer Than Two Per...
Donwisestar
4 yrs
857
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Two Dead,
~1.7 mins read
Two dead, many injured in Lagos road accidents
Published October 11, 2020
Sodiq Oyeleke
No fewer than two persons have died in multiple road accidents that occurred late on Saturday in Lagos State .
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency announced this on Sunday morning.
It said in a cross over operation while responding to a distress call on a road crash at Okokomaiko inward Iyana Isashi LASEMA rescued a critically injured driver and several passengers at Oke Afa , inward Ejigbo .
“ That timely intervention at Oke Afa saved the lives of the trapped and seriously injured driver identified as Olasupo Adedeji resident of 1, Asenuga Street, Ile Iwe bus stop, Ikotun and those of his passengers as well.
“ The quick rescue operation was conducted when LRT discovered that driver of a mini- bus had rammed his commercial vehicle into a parked trailer on top speed which left him trapped , with many passengers injured , †LASEMA’ s spokesperson, Nosa Okunbor , said in the statement .
Okunbor also said two persons were injured in another accident at Okokomaiko, inward Iyana Isashi before midnight of Friday.
“ All the injured passengers with varying degrees of injuries has since been treated, while the trapped driver after extrication , was administered First Aid treatment , and was quickly taken to the Trauma Centre for further medical attention by LRU Paramedics who were responders with the LRT at the Incident scene, †he added .
He explained that a driver and passenger died in an accident at Okoko inward Iyana Isashi along Badagry Expressway.
Okunbo said , “ A trailer with registration number AAA 95 XX carrying several rolls of iron while on one way, broke down at the middle of the road making it difficult for other road users along the axis to move freely .
“ Another truck with registration number GDD 962 ZT carrying a 40 ft container loaded with RC orange drinks , while trying to maneuver its way, slept off , fell and landed on two different seven -passenger mini -buses with registration numbers SMK 343 YA and LSD 818 XX respectively , who are also trying to maneuver their ways .
“ Some passengers on the mini-busses were rescued alive with several degrees of injuries and were taken to the nearest hospital.
“ Unfortunately , a driver and one passenger in the min - bus with registration number SMK 343 YA were trapped in the bus.
“ Remains of the victims were bagged and handed over to Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit Officials . â€
Donwisestar
4 yrs
655
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
One Killed As Anti-SARS Protests Turn Violent In Oyo,
~2.0 mins read
One killed as anti-SARS protests turn violent in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Abuja
Published October 11, 2020
File photo: #EndSARS protesters in Abuja.
Eniola Akinkuotu, Adelani Adepegba, Ade Adesomoju , Afeez Hanafi , Jesusegun Alagbe, Wale Oyewale, Daud Olatunji, Bola Bamigbola and Gbenga Odogun
More than one week after the renewed call for the proscription of the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad , the attendant street protests have turned violent in some parts of the country, with a protester identified as Jimoh Isiaka, shot dead in Ogbomoso , Oyo State on Saturday .
Apart from Oyo , the #EndSARS demonstration was marred by violence in Osun , Abuja and Ogun, where a crowd of agitators stormed Owu festival on Saturday, demanding to speak with former President Olusegun Obasanjo , who was at the event .
The nationwide protest was reignited last week following the shooting of a youth reportedly in front of a hotel in Ughelli , Delta State , by some FSARS operatives who drove away his SUV. The police have said the youth didn ’ t die.
The Nigeria Police Force consequently banned FSARS and other special tactical squads from carrying out routine stop and search .
The protesters , however , claimed that the police authorities had not shown enough commitment to reform the dreaded police unit over the years and called for its disbandment.
Despite the Force’ s call for calm, the protest raged on in several parts of the country , including Lagos , Delta , Imo , and also gained traction in the United States , United Kingdom , South Africa and Canada .
The protest was described as the most trended issue on Friday globally, according to @ BBCAfrica , as Nigerians abroad joined in the demonstration . A rally is billed to hold in London on Monday .
Amid the protests in Nigeria , young Isiaka was reportedly killed by a trigger - happy policeman in Ogbomoso on Saturday, with seven others sustaining varying degrees of injury .
Confirming Isiaka’ s death, Oyo State Governor , Seyi Makinde , via his Twitter handle @ seyamakinde, described the situation as regrettable and promised that investigation would be carried out into the incident.
He said the killing and assault on peaceful protesters were an indication of government failure and urged the residents to carry on with their protests peacefully.
He said , “ I have received with deep sadness the news of the passing of one of our children , Jimoh Isiaka, who was shot during the #ENDSARS protest in Ogbomoso. He later died at Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso , earlier today ( Saturday ) .
“ Also , at this same protest , Abdulrasaq Olawale , Oluwadamilare Gbolohunmi , and five other persons sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment . This situation is highly regrettable. I have contacted the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State , Nwachukwu Enwonwu , and other relevant agencies, and investigations into what led to the unfortunate incident are still ongoing.
“ I pray that God grant the parents of Jimoh Isiaka the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. â€
Relationship and Marriage
Husband, Wife Murdered By Unknown Gunmen In Eboyi
Husband, Wife Murdered By Unknown Gunmen In Ebonyi
METRO
Published On October 9, 2020
By Godwin Aliuna
...
Donwisestar
4 yrs
1478
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Husband, Wife Murdered By Unknown Gunmen In Eboyi
~1.3 mins read
Husband, wife murdered by unknown gunmen in Ebonyi
METRO
Published on October 9, 2020
By Godwin Aliuna
RELATED TOPICS:
Husband and wife whose names are yet to be identified at the time of filing this report on Friday were reportedly murdered by unknown gunmen in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The lifeless bodies of the couple who hail from Amuzu Nkpogoro Community in Afikpo North LGA were discovered by the youths at their farmland.
Sources from the Amuzu Nkpogoro community had alleged that the perpetrators were herdsmen.
Sources who spoke anonymously said: “Information shows that the couple from Amuzu Nkpogoro, Afikpo North LGA went to the farm yesterday and did not come back. A search party was launched by youths of the community.
“This morning their dead bodies were found, packed together in a farmland. Some alleged that the evil was perpetrated by herders, while police in the area have commenced investigations into the matter.
“The corpse of the victims are already decomposing. The youths of the area who went in search of the couple are now at the Police Division, Afikpo North waiting for the DPO who went to Area Command to get clearance for the burial of the victim†the source noted.
NEWS: Rivers Court sentences serial killer, David-West to death by hanging
When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah said the Command was yet to be notified about the development.
“Murder cases are not what you delay. It could be it happened this morning and the DPO is gathering information to send to the Command†she stated.
DAILY POST gathered that the youths of the affected Community have already besieged the Police Division, Afikpo North LGA over the murder of the said couple.
Ebonyi ind
News and Politics
Ondo Election
Ondo Election: ZLP Accuses Fayemi Of Mass Importation Of Thugs From Ekiti
POLITICS
Published On October 9, 2020
...Donwisestar
4 yrs
746
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Ondo Election
~2.1 mins read
Ondo Election: ZLP accuses Fayemi of mass importation of thugs from Ekiti
POLITICS
Published on October 9, 2020
By Abdul Babajide
RELATED TOPICS:
With less than 24 hours to the governorship election in Ondo State, the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, on Friday cried out over alleged plans by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State to interfere in the electoral process slated for tomorrow.
According to the ZLP, Fayemi is set to compromise the integrity of the election following the importation of thugs into the state from Ekiti State.
The party in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Felix Olatunde also alleged that the Ekiti State Governor has been inducing security agents as part of plans to undermine the electoral process on Saturday.
Olatunde who in a statement disclosed that the thugs were being kept at a popular hotel in Akure, however, urged Fayemi to rescind his plans, stressing that residents of the state will resist any attempt to subjugate the will of the people.
“The attention of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has been drawn to the plan by Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to interfere in the governorship election of Ondo State towards compromising the integrity of the electoral process.
“Information available to us showed that Fayemi has imported thugs to a popular hotel in Ijapo area of Akure, the Ondo State capital. The thugs are to unleash terror on the people during Saturday’s governorship election.
“We learnt that Governor Fayemi has been distributing money to security agencies and thugs imported from Ekiti to compromise the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN.â€
NEWS: HURIWA attacks NHRC boss, Ojukwu for allegedly begging for adverts from foreign companies
The statement further read that “It must be noted that the people of Ondo State are capable of handling their affairs without the intervention of interlopers including Fayemi; who prides himself as supervisory Governor of Ondo State.
“We hereby give Fayemi two hours within which to vacate his Ijapo hotel where he is currently hibernating as the people may be forced to invade the hotel. The consequences may not be in the interest of both neighbouring states of Ondo and Ekiti.
“Governor Fayemi who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) must know that the careless way he handled the influx of weapons led to the upsurge of kidnapping and violent crimes in that State. We cannot afford post-election violent crimes in Ondo State.â€
Ondo election: ZLP, Ajayi accused of allegedly plotting to clone, circulate fak documents against Akeredolu
Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know this Tuesday morning
PDP accuses security agencies of aidin Akeredolu in violent attacks, writes Buhari
Ondo 2020: Who holds the ace as Akeredolu, Agboola, Jegede begin battl
Ondo 2020: One killed, many injured as thugs engage ZLP members
Akeredolu vs Jegede, Agboola: Like Edo, Kwankwaso arrives Ondo for APC, PDP clash
News and Politics
Alpha Beta Defends Tinubu
Alpha-Beta Defends Tinubu, Accuses Ex-MD Of Misappropriating Company's Funds
editor October 9, 2020 4:03 Pm
By Alex...
Donwisestar
4 yrs
623
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Alpha Beta Defends Tinubu
~2.6 mins read
Alpha-Beta Defends Tinubu, Accuses Ex-MD of Misappropriating Company's Funds
editor October 9, 2020 4:03 Pm
By Alex Enumah
Managing Director of Alpha-Beta Consulting LLP, Mr Akin Doherty, on Friday, dismissed media reports that he (Doherty); former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu; and Alpha-Beta had been summoned by a Lagos High Court over alleged fraud and tax evasion.
Doherty, in a press statement, claimed that they were unaware of the case, and accused the plaintiff, Mr Dapo Apara, of diverting attention from corruption cases against him.
Doherty said following Apara’s removal from office in 2018 over fraud allegations, he had since engaged in activities to tarnish the image of the defendants.
Apara had on October 3, instituted a court action against Tinubu, Doherty and Alpha-Beta, alleging deep corruption, money laundering and tax evasion by the trio.
He is also accusing Tinubu of edging him out of the company they formed in 2002 and denying him of benefiting from the billions of naira the company made over the years.
But in a swift reaction on Friday, Doherty said, “The fact is that Dapo Apara began making his untrue allegations in the aftermath of his removal as Managing Director of Alpha Beta for fraud and unethical practices.
“While he was MD, Apara used his position to siphon huge sums of money from the company including but not limited to fraudulently converting $5 million; money allegedly used to pay for cloud based services that were eventually discovered to be worth less than $300,000â€.
He further claimed that Apara was not only a signatory to all the bank accounts of Alpha Beta from inception until his removal, but was paid all his entitlements.
More in Home
“In July 2018 further evidence of his fraudulent and unethical practices was uncovered, including the revelation that he converted approximately N6 billion belonging to Alpha Beta to his personal use. This fraud was reported to the authorities and Mr. Apara was subsequently invited to return to Nigeria from his hiding place in Dubai to render account.
“To date, he has refused to do so. Instead, Mr. Apara chose to embark on an aggressive smear campaign seemingly in an effort to blackmail us into ending the investigations into his misconduct.â€
The statement claimed that contrary to the sensational headlines, designed to embarrass and blackmail, the case presented by Mr. Apara did not disclose even a single piece of evidence of fraud or criminal activity on the part of any of the alleged defendants.
“The case brought by Mr. Apara is, simply put, an extension of his campaign of calumny; launched to avoid the consequences of his fraudulent conduct over the years.
“This court action by Dapo Apara is the continuation of Mr. Apara’s blackmail tactics and an attempt to distract from the huge funds he misappropriated from Alpha Beta while he was in charge of its affairs.
“Since 2018, he has filed many suits in Lagos and Abuja on the same matter, engaged in Arbitration, the Police, EFCC and ICPC. However, in all that time, he has steadfastly refused to honour all invitations by the authorities to return to Nigeria and account for the huge funds he misappropriated.
“The uncorroborated allegations against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu by Dapo Apara, in particular, show that he is bent only on creating sensational headlines to deflect attention from his own criminal activities.
“Although, we have not been served with the court summons, we look forward to the opportunity the case provides to publicly present the full picture of Mr. Apara’s misconduct, deceit and fraud and to have the matter resolved by the court once and for allâ€, the statement read in part.
Donwisestar
4 yrs
359
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Abia Government Discusse With Army Over Harassment Of Community
~1.3 mins read
Abia government discusses with Army over harassment of community- Commissioner
By NAN
09 October 2020 | 3:00 pm
Chief Dan Okoli , Abia Commissioner for Homeland Security said the state was in talks with military authorities to stop their men from harassing Owaza people in Ukwa West LGA.
Okoli disclosed this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) .
The commissioner was reacting to Save Our Souls message Ukwa people sent to the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS ) and reported in the media to stop his men from “ running the community out of town. ’’
NAN reports that Nigerian Army personnel had been harassing and intimidating Owaza people and nearby Ukwa communities after some hoodlums killed and disarmed one soldier in the area .
The harassment has resulted in the residents running away from their communities for fear of being hurt or killed by military personnel.
Okoli said : “ I won ’ t tell you what government is doing, but what I will tell you is that something is being done about it.
“ You know how military people behave when you kill one of them , so it is not just by words of mouth that we talk.
“ Meetings have been going, that is much I can say about it.
“ It is not unexpected that it will not be business as usual when a section of the army is aggrieved , they behave in certain ways .
“ It will still come down, it will still pass, government is discussing with their leaders to assuage their grievances within a short time , normalcy will return , †he said .
The community in their letter to the COAS said they now live in fear over incessant attacks by 144 Battalion soldiers, Asa who might want to avenge the killing of two of their colleagues by unidentified gunmen along Uzuaku/Okohia axis.
Donwisestar
4 yrs
487
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Media Right Agenda Has Welcomed The UNHRC
~2.6 mins read
Media Rights Agenda has welcomed the UNHRC resolution on the safety of journalists and is asking the government to give full effect to its provisions.
This statement was originally published on mediarightsagenda.net on 7 October 2020.
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today welcomed the October 6 resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council on the safety of journalists and called on the Federal Government to give full effect to its provisions, including by bringing all its laws, policies and practices into compliance with its obligations under international human rights law, as required by the resolution.
The resolution, A/HRC/45/L.42/Rev.1, introduced by Austria, was adopted by consensus by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council at its 45th Regular Session, which ends today in Geneva, Switzerland.
In a statement in Lagos, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, urged the Federal Government to fully implement the resolution and, in particular, undertake a comprehensive review of all its laws, policies and practices and, “where necessary, repeal or amend them so that they do not limit the ability of journalists and media workers to perform their work independently and without undue interference.â€
He said: “This latest resolution by the Human Rights Council on the safety of journalists is a clear and comprehensive guidance to governments around the world, including the Nigerian Government, on the concrete actions they need to take to protect their journalists and media communities given the invaluable service they provide to their societies; to keep their citizens properly informed; and to fulfil their obligations under international human rights law as far as media freedom is concerned.â€
Mr. Ojo highlighted other aspects of the resolution, which he said the Nigerian Government must urgently implement in order to meet its international human rights obligations as outlined in the document, including:
• Establishing prevention mechanisms, such as an early warning and rapid response mechanism, to give journalists and media workers, when threatened, immediate access to authorities competent and adequately resourced to provide effective protective measures;
• Developing and implementing strategies for combating impunity for attacks and violence against journalists, including by creating special investigative units or independent commissions; appointing a specialized prosecutor; and adopting specific protocols and methods of investigation and prosecution;
• Ensuring accountability through the conduct of impartial, prompt, thorough, independent and effective investigations into all alleged violence, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers and bringing perpetrators, including those who command, conspire to commit, aid and abet or cover up such crimes to justice, and ensuring that victims and their families have access to appropriate restitution, compensation and assistance;
• Supporting capacity-building, training and awareness-raising in the judiciary and among law enforcement officers and military and security personnel, as well as among media organizations, journalists and civil society, regarding States’ international human rights and international humanitarian law obligations and commitments relating to the safety of journalists;
• Taking into account the specific role, exposure and vulnerability of journalists and media workers observing, monitoring, recording and reporting protests and assemblies, and protecting their safety;
• Ensuring that defamation and libel laws are not misused, in particular through excessive criminal sanctions, to illegitimately or arbitrarily censor journalists and interfere with their mission of informing the public, and where necessary revising and repealing such laws, in compliance with Nigeria’s obligations under international human rights law; and
• Cooperating with journalists, the media and civil society organizations to assess the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting on the provision of vital information to the public and the sustainability of media environments, and to consider devising appropriate mechanisms to provide financial support to the media, including local journalism and investigative reporting, and to ensure that support is given without compromising editorial independence.
Relationship and Marriage
Nigeria Cybercrime Law Is More Frequently Being Used Against Journalist's
Nigeria's Cybercrime Law Is More Frequently Being Used Against Journalists, Political Activists And Critics Of The State Instea...
Donwisestar
4 yrs
1178
profile/8662IMG_20190924_134640.jpg
Donwisestar
Nigeria Cybercrime Law Is More Frequently Being Used Against Journalist's
~6.1 mins read
Nigeria's cybercrime law is more frequently being used against journalists, political activists and critics of the state instead of protecting citizens from cybercrime.
This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on 7 October 2020.
On February 13, 2020, Agba Jalingo, the publisher of the online newspaper Cross River Watch, regained tentative freedom after a Federal High Court in Calabar granted him 10 million Naira (about US$ 27,300) bail. The journalist had spent 174 days in detention after he was
arrested and charged with felony and terrorism. The charges, the second of which is under Nigeria’s Cyber Crime Law, related to a story Jalingo published alleging diversion of state funds by the Cross River State government.
The only thing the story had to do with cyberspace is the fact that it was published online. Yet, that was the circumstance that aggravated the publisher’s “crimeâ€. Jalingo’s ordeal is shared by many journalists and activists who have come to realise to their cost how grotesquely elastic Nigeria’s Cyber Crime Law can be. The law adopted in 2015, presumably to secure online security and privacy, to tackle cyber fraud and boost the country’s digital economy, has become notorious for its frequent manipulation by the authorities to silence criticism and dissent online.
Another journalist, Oliver Fejiro, has been battling a five-counts charge of “Cyber Stalking†punishable under the provisions of Section 24 of the CyberCrimes Act 2015. Fejiro’s troubles started in early 2017 after the news website Secret Reporters of which he is the founder and publisher, published a series of stories alleging corruption at Sterling Bank.
The Police arrested Fejiro in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on March 16, 2017, and flew him to Lagos after an overnight trip by road to Umuahia, Abia State. Fejiro was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on April 28. The court remanded him until he satisfied bail conditions on May 11, 2017, and the case has since been dragging.
“The last time I was in court was February 2020. I was scheduled to appear again by May 28, but the COVID-19 saga has made it impossible,†Fejiro said in a recent WhatsApp interaction with MFWA.
On March 24, 2020, over 20 officers of the Department of State Services, (DSS) in Abia State stormed the chambers of a lawyer and human rights activist, Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna and arrested him. The activist had in a Facebook post, alleged that the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, had gone to a shrine to swear an oath of loyalty and secrecy to his predecessor.
Ogbonna was put before a Magistrate’s Court in Umuahia on cyber terrorism charges on March 26, under Section 27(1) (a) and 18(1) of Nigeria’s CyberCrimes Act. He was subsequently remanded in custody. Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna was released on a 2 million Naira bail on August 18.
On May 8, four masked men from the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed the home of Saint Mienpamo Onitsha, founder of the news website
Naija Live TV, and carried him away at gunpoint. Detained at DSS headquarters in the state capital Yenagoa, Onitsha was later informed that his arrest was in relation to his media outlet’s report on the alleged collapse of a COVID-19 isolation centre in Kogi State, a report they claimed to be false. The journalist was released on bail on May 12, 2020, after he apologised for the “erroneous†publication and denied having been kidnapped by the DSS. A day after his release, Onitsha issued a statement giving details of his Gestapo-style arrest and confirming that he was forced to issue the apology over the publication as a condition for his release.
The DSS again summoned Onitsha on June 4 over the same publication and detained him overnight. On June 5, the security agency arraigned the journalist before a federal court on charges of publishing false news under section 24(1) b of Nigeria’s CyberCrimes Act 2015. The Court granted bail to the journalist pending another hearing in October 2020.
On the same day, June 5, this time, before a Magistrate’s Court in Owerri, Imo State, the DSS arraigned a political activist, Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, on a six-count charge, three of them under the cybercrime law.
Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, who manages the New Media Centre of the Imo State Chapter of the People’s Democratic party (PDP), was arrested by the DSS on May 28, 2020 after he shared a Facebook post allegedly defamatory of Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo State. The charge sheet, however, referred to a series of social media publications by Nwaogwugwu considered to be “false†and “insulting.†He was granted a N500,000 bail on June 22, 2020.
On May 22, 2020, the police in Kwara State arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja, the freelance journalist Rotimi Jolayemi, on a single count of causing annoyance, insult and hatred towards Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, contrary to section 24(1)(b) of the CyberCrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.
The charge was in relation to a critical poem about the Minister which the journalist composed and shared on a WhatsApp platform. Jolayemi went into hiding after picking up intelligence that the police were after him over the poem. On May 5, he presented himself at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Kwara State Police Command to relieve his wife and two other relatives who had been arrested more than a week earlier. He was released on bail on June 16.
Section 39 (1) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression; “ Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression. including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.â€
Section 39(2) expands this right to cover press freedom by granting the right to establish mass media platforms.
“Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (I) of this section, every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information.â€
To reinforce these rights, the country adopted a Freedom of Information Act in May 2011, to make public records and information freely available to the media and all citizens.
However, on the evidence of the above persecution on journalists using the CyberCrimes Act, one can conclude that the Act as presently interpreted by Nigeria’s criminal justice system threatens to take back the above-stated rights guaranteed by the constitution, with online journalists and social media activists being the biggest victims.
Section 24(b) of the law which has 59 sections is the provision often manipulated to target critical journalists and activists. The section prescribes a prison term of up to three years or a fine of N7,000,000 for persons who knowingly send, by means of a computer system, a message that they know to be false, for the purpose of “causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another.â€
Yet, the Cybercrime Act 2015 was primarily supposed to have been aimed at protecting vital economic infrastructure from cyberattacks, preventing fraud and fighting economic crimes.
“By the early 2000s, Nigeria had risen to notorious fame for the number and prevalence of cybercrimes from its residents,†Nigeria-based internet rights organisation Paradigm Initiative said in a policy brief titled Why Good Intentions May Not Be Enough: The Case of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act 2015.
A report by the National Communications Commission (NCC) also outlined some of the main cybercrime concerns in Nigeria. “Cybercrimes such as identity theft, obtaining by false pretense, fraudulent email blasting, cyber-dating scams, cyber blackmailing, piracy, hacking, phishing and spamming became widespread in the country with repercussions in the global landscape.â€
It is thus safe to say that the Cybercrime Law 2015 was born out of a resolve to save Nigeria’s image as a hub for the above-mentioned nefarious activities. The collateral damage from its use by state officials and other powerful individuals to persecute critics is therefore too heavy a toll that offsets the benefits of the law.
The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA is concerned that the infamous Section 24(b) of the CyberCrimes Act 2015 could undermine the good intentions of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (HB.490) which is currently on the floor of the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to guarantee human rights in Nigeria within the context of emerging digital technologies.
The Bill clearly warns that “…concerns about hate speech shall not be abused to discourage citizens from engaging in legitimate democratic debate on matters of general interest.†It further urges the courts “to make a distinction between, on the one hand, genuine and serious incitement to extremism and, on the other hand, the right of individuals (including journalists and politicians) to express their views freely…†(Section 13 (15,16).
With the CyberCrimes Act 2015 experience, these good intentions may well end up as a mere paper tiger. It is important therefore, for Nigeria’s criminal justice system to internalise the ideals espoused in the Digital Rights Bill when passed into law and to prioritise the promotion of free expression over the suppression of it to please parochial interests.
Paste links to your social accounts below