The organization’s Executive Director, Abiodun Baiyewu, argued that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
She emphasized that these rights are not privileges, but the bedrock of Nigeria’s democracy.
Baiyewu cited several cases of journalists arrested under the Act, including Daniel Ojukwu and Hassan Mai-Waya Kangiwa.
She noted that the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development documented 54 press freedom violations between January and August 2025, with many linked to security agencies.
Global Rights urged the police to respect the amended Cybercrime Act and Nigeria’s international obligations, citing the 2022 ECOWAS Court of Justice ruling that Section 24 of the Act is incompatible with African and international human rights standards.
The organization emphasized that the remedy for defamation lies in civil courts, not criminal prosecution, and that using police powers to criminalize defamation under the Cybercrime Act is undemocratic and risks ushering in mass censorship and repression.
