Two major rights groups, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and Amnesty International Nigeria, have urged President Bola Tinubu to order the withdrawal of charges filed against activist Omoyele Sowore, as well as social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
The charges, filed on September 16 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accuse Sowore of refusing to delete posts critical of Tinubu. The case was brought under the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 and the Criminal Code Act.
In a joint letter dated September 20 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare and Amnesty International Nigeria director Isa Sanusi, the groups warned that the government was using the justice system to silence critics.
“The weaponisation of the justice system to crack down on peaceful dissent is entirely inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations,” the letter read.
They asked Tinubu to direct the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to stop “misusing judicial processes to silence dissent.”
The groups also demanded that Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) propose an anti-SLAPP law to stop the use of lawsuits to harass activists, journalists and online users.
“SLAPP and criminal defamation lawsuits are neither necessary nor proportionate,” they wrote. “Such lawsuits generate a chilling effect that inhibits the enjoyment of human rights and circulation of ideas and information.”
SERAP and Amnesty reminded Tinubu of his own words during the June 12 Democracy Day address, when he said: “No one should bear the brunt of injustice for merely writing a bad report about me or calling me names. Democracy requires a fair degree of tolerance for harsh words and stinging insults.”
They noted that ECOWAS Court had in March 2022 ordered Nigeria to stop using parts of the Cybercrime Act to punish online critics, describing those provisions as “arbitrary, vague and repressive.”
The groups gave the president seven days to act or face possible legal action at the regional court.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, we would consider all appropriate legal actions including before the ECOWAS Court of Justice,” the letter warned.
The Federal Government has yet to officially respond to the demands.
