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SERAP is coming for Tinubu’s use of the Cybercrime Act
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Let’s get into the news you missed during the weekend:
SERAP is coming for Tinubu’s use of the Cybercrime Act
Nigeria has passed another major judgment against femicide
The Big Deal
SERAP is coming for Tinubu’s use of the Cybercrime Act
Nigerian leaders have been moving weird lately and have been justifying their bully-like actions with the Cybercrime Act, but the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is tired of watching that happen.
On Sunday, May 4, the rights advocacy organisation publicly dragged the Tinubu administration for weaponising the Cybercrimes Act as its personal vendetta tool.
According to SERAP, the law is being used to jail journalists, critics, and social media users just for tweeting their minds or calling out bad governance. “We've urged the Tinubu administration to immediately end the use of the draconian Cybercrimes Act to target journalists, critics and other Nigerians peacefully expressing their views online, and release those in custody under the legislation,” the organisation said.
It also called out the vague and suspiciously convenient parts of the Act, like the infamous “cyberstalking” and “insult” provisions, that have become go-to excuses for state agents who want to shut people up.
SERAP reminded Tinubu and his crew that Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantee Nigerians the right to speak, tweet, blog, and criticise without fear of the police knocking on their door.
It also asked the government to chill on enforcing the law until it's reviewed and cleaned up. SERAP additionally wants the National Assembly to get involved, specifically, to delete the parts of the Act that clearly breach human rights.
Why is this a big deal?
SERAP isn’t just talking for the sake of it; the abuse of the Cybercrime Act has actually had the entire country in a chokehold since your fave came into power, which is weird because President Tinubu promised to promote free press and freedom of speech during his term.
In May 2024, Segun Olatunji, a digital publication editor, was illegally detained and forced to resign after writing a report linked to Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Daniel Ojukwu, an investigative journalist, was also arrested in May 2024 for “violating” the Cybercrime Act.
In the same year, we also saw the arrest of social media users like Olamide Thomas, who was arrested and accused of the same violation for reportedly cursing the children of President Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on a Facebook Live.
These are just a few of the viral abuses of the Cybercrime Act, but the list is much longer and worse than what we’ve mentioned. SERAP is doing what every concerned Nigerian should be doing because God forbid we go back to the Dele Giwa era, when journalists were literally murdered for reporting stories.
Nigeria has passed another major judgment against femicide
TW: femicide, rape
Last week was a great one for Nigeria’s justice system and the fight against femicide. We started off with justice for late gospel minister Osinachi Nwachukwu and ended with justice for 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwola.
On February 26, 2022, Bamise boarded what would be her last Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus from the Ajah area of Lagos Island. Before she was murdered, she sent voice notes to her friends and family to inform them about the bus driver’s suspicious behaviour. Nine days later, her body was found along the Carter Bridge expressway in Lagos. Those voicenotes Bamise sent during her last minutes on earth ended up being presented in court as evidence against the bus driver, Andrew Ominikoron, who was responsible for her murder.
After three long years of grief for Bamise’s family, the Lagos State High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square finally sentenced the BRT driver to death by hanging on Friday, May 2.
Justice Serifat Sonaike, who delivered the judgment, declared that the Lagos State Government had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Ominikoron murdered Bamise.
Although there were no eyewitnesses, the court leaned on strong circumstantial evidence: the autopsy report, testimonies from other victims, and Bamise’s final voice notes.
The court also found him guilty of raping 29-year-old Nneka Maryjane Ozezulu in November 2021. Her testimony, alongside statements from other women who had similar encounters in his BRT bus, exposed a pattern of abuse and predatory behaviour.
Despite pleading not guilty, Ominikoron was found guilty on four of the five charges. His defence counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, begged for mercy, but thousands of Nigerians have expressed satisfaction concerning the court’s ruling. To most people, this judgment is important to support the fight against femicide.
Your next big read
→Everything We Know About The Prayer Group Linked to Ejiro’s Disappearance: On Monday, April 28, Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi, a Nigerian entrepreneur, started an important conversation when she shared that a Nigerian stylist, identified as Ejiro, had gone missing after allegedly falling prey to a prayer group, Abba’s Heart Ministries, which is believed to be a cult.
→What Happens When Work Trauma Follows You Home? We Asked A Psychologist: You might think your job is just “stressful,” but there’s a thin line between character building and outright toxic behaviour.
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