President of theNigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has warned that the Cybercrimes Act is increasingly being misused to silence critics, journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens in Nigeria. Speaking on ARISE Television’s Prime Time programme, Osigwe described the situation as a deliberate muzzling of free expression under the guise of combating cybercrime and defamation.
He criticised the judiciary for enabling this trend, saying judges and magistrates often deny bail in cases that would ordinarily be bailable, effectively turning courts into instruments of oppression.
“Free speech is being muzzled in Nigeria under the guise of charging people to court and investigating them for cybercrime and criminal defamation… if our judges become willing tools in giving them that which they desire… then the judiciary becomes a willing tool in the hands of the oppressors and thereby becomes an oppressor itself,” Osigwe said.
He further noted that while the Act seeks to address online fraud and cyberterrorism, its vaguely worded provisions are frequently misapplied to target citizens sharing opinions or exposing corruption.
Osigwe called for the protection of democratic space, stressing that public office holders must be held accountable without undermining citizens’ right to free expression.
