The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have called for the suspension of the implementation of the Cybercrimes Act.

At a press briefing in Lagos, the two bodies particularly condemned the rise in attacks on press freedom and civil liberties in the country.

They accused Nigerian authorities of weaponising the Cybercrimes Act and other regulatory tools to stifle dissent, criminalise journalism, and target critics of the government.

The Deputy Director of SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, while delivering a scathing critique of what he described as an “escalating crackdown” on freedom of expression specifically cited Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, despite its 2024 amendment, as a legal bludgeon routinely used against journalists, bloggers, activists, and even ordinary citizens for expressing opinions online.

He said, “We are deeply concerned about the growing use of legislation to silence dissent. The authorities continue to deploy Section 24 to target Nigerians for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights,”

The pattern of abuse he noted included extrajudicial arrests, malicious prosecutions, enforced disappearances, and unlawful surveillance—tactics increasingly used to intimidate both professional journalists and social media users.

“People have been arrested and charged simply for posts in WhatsApp alumni groups. This is no longer just repression, it’s absurd and dangerous,” he said.

He stated further that the 2024 amendment of the Cybercrimes Act fell short of aligning with a 2022 judgment by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which ruled Section 24 of the original law as vague, arbitrary, and in violation of international human rights treaties such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

According to him, the amended version retains ambiguous terms, especially under provisions relating to “cyberstalking”, creating room for arbitrary interpretation and misuse.

“You can be prosecuted merely because someone claims to feel ‘fear’ from your message. That’s not a standard for justice; it’s an open door to censorship and tyranny,” Oluwadare warned.

Speaking in the same vein, the General Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren,  called for the immediate suspension of the enforcement of the law, asking that provisions be repealed or revised in line with Nigeria’s obligations under international and domestic human rights law.

“We urge President Tinubu to ensure that no journalist, blogger, or activist is arrested, detained, or harassed simply for doing their job.

“The government must demonstrate a genuine commitment to the rule of law and press freedom,”Uwugiaren said.

The Guild according to the scribe has set up a committee comprising senior editors and media executives to identify laws currently impeding journalistic freedom.

The aim, he said, is to develop a robust reform agenda to be presented to the National Assembly.

Their concerns come amid an alarming spike in attacks against journalists in Nigeria.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) it can be recalled reported at least 110 verified attacks on media professionals so far in 2024, surpassing figures from previous years, including the widely criticised media clampdown of 2013.

Among the documented cases are the prolonged detention of International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) staff, assaults on journalists covering protests in Lagos and Abuja, and the forced closure of independent media outlets in the northern states.