Media practitioners today commended the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria [OPAN]) for taking the Federal Government of Nigeria to court over the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015.
Excellent! I have been waiting for this, wrote Aziza Uko, Executive Editor | The Trent
According to a report by Freedom House, Internet freedom in Nigeria remained stagnant in the past year amidst an ongoing trend of intimidation and arrests. #netfreedom2017 http://freedomhou.se/2z3gwpb
The 2017 Country profile on Nigeria by the International Freedom Watchdog, titled ‘Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy’, numerous bloggers, online journalists, and ordinary users were arrested for their online activities in the past year, most of whom were charged for “cyberstalking” under Section 24 of the cybercrime law, though no cases led to convictions.
The reports stated among others that:
Online journalists and internet users in Nigeria were subject to increasing extralegal harassment and intimidation for their activities (see Intimidation and Violence).
Numerous bloggers, online journalists, and ordinary users were arrested for their online activities in the past year, most of whom were charged for “cyberstalking” under Section 24 of the cybercrime law, though no cases have led to convictions:
In August 2016, blogger Abubakar Usman was arrested and held for two days for a report accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of corruption.
Musa Azare was also arrested by police in August after he allegedly criticized the Bauchi state governor on social media, though the governor himself demanded Azare’s release, citing his support for freedom of expression.
In September 2016, blogger Jamil Mubai was arrested for using Twitter to criticize the Katsina state governor’s purchase of coffins instead of paying the outstanding salaries of civil servants.
Also in September, State Security Service (SSS) agents arrested blogger Emenike Iroegbu, who runs the Abia Facts online outlet, for allegedly harassing Abia State officials in his articles.
In November 2016, SSS agents arrested activist Aku Obidinma for critical comments he posted on Facebook about the Deputy Governor of Imo state.
