๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ: ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ/๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ข๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ,๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐.
๐๐๐ญ๐: 5๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ, 2025
The Coalition for Press Freedom and Digital Rights alongside ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข-๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ calls on the Nigerian authorities particularly from Delta State to immediately drop all cybercrime charges against investigative journalist ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ซ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ, who is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court, Asaba, for alleged โcyberstalkingโ under ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) ๐๐๐ญ 2015.
๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ซ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ was arrested and detained for two weeks by the ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐, Asaba, following an ex parte motion filed by the Police. His only โoffenceโ was publishing reports and opinions on Facebook that questioned the actions of the Delta State Government and it’s stakeholders on matters clearly in the public interest.
Recent Federal High Court rulings have affirmed that journalistic expression and public criticism are not crimes. In ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ ๐ฏ. ๐ ๐๐ (๐ ๐๐ Abuja, July 2024) and ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ. ๐ ๐๐ (๐ ๐๐ Lagos, July 2024), both defendants were acquitted of similar cybercrime charges, as the courts held that online criticism cannot be criminalised under Section 24 of the Cybercrime Law of Nigeria.
Nigeriaโs 2024 amendment to the Cybercrime Act also removed vague terms like โ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฒโ and โ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ,โ recognising that these provisions were being used to silence Journalists and Citizens.
The continued prosecution of ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ contradicts the Constitutionโs guarantee of freedom of expression (๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง39) and Nigeriaโs obligations under international laws such as the African Charter on human and people’s rights act, United Nations charter, etc
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ said the Coalitionโs spokesperson. โWe urge the authorities to respect the rule of law, end the harassment of journalists, and uphold the reforms already made to the Cybercrime Act.โ
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐:
- ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ. 2.๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
- ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ.
Respectfully submitted,
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ข ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฑ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐. An Activist, a Journalist and Public Relations Officer with the ๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ’๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐.
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