Hope Behind Bars Africa: In December 2024, Destiny Ekhorutomuen, a TikToker from Edo State, was arrested for allegedly using multiple social media accounts to spread “false and inciting content” against the Nigeria Police Force. He was formally charged with cyberbullying and cyberstalking under the Cybercrimes Act. Bail was set at 2 billion naira, approximately $1.3 million USD, requiring four sureties including two Federal Government workers on Level 16 with Abuja properties valued at ₦500 million each, and two businessmen with similar property holdings. Legal experts condemned the arrest, citing it as an example of suppressing free speech & criticized the bail conditions as excessive.

In 2024, Dele Farotimi, a lawyer and public commentator, published a book alleging corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary. He was subsequently charged with 12 counts of cybercrime, detained in Lagos, transported across state lines to Ekiti, and brought to court in handcuffs. The charges were eventually withdrawn, but the message was very clear: speak, and you will pay a price.This has been a continuous pattern.

What Is the Cybercrimes Act?

The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act was signed into law in 2015 with a legitimate purpose, to combat online fraud, hacking, identity theft, and cyberterrorism. Nigeria, like many countries, needed a legal framework to address the growing reality of digital crime.

This law designed to fight cyber criminals has, over the years, been consistently used against different kinds of persons entirely: journalists, activists, bloggers, and ordinary Nigerian citizens who criticised the government or powerful individuals online. The primary vehicle for this misuse is Section 24 of the Act, which criminalises messages deemed to cause “annoyance,” “inconvenience,” or a “breakdown of law and order.” The language is broad, vague, and in the hands of the wrong authorities, almost infinitely elastic.

Read the full article on How Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act Became A Tool Against Free Speech