Coalition lauds amendment to Nigeria’s cybercrime act

The recent amendment of the Cybercrime Act by the National Assembly is a progressive reform for safeguarding the freedom of expression in the country and to deepen accountability.

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Gatefield, Paradigm Initiative, ResearcherNG, FollowTaxes, North-East Humanitarian Hub and Anvarie Tech on Sunday in Abuja.

They noted that the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 is a landmark legislation enacted to be a framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of online crimes in Nigeria, however due to its vague provisions, it became a notorious tool used to restrict freedom of the press and expression, undermining the guarantees of Section 39 of the 1999 constitution.

Ms. Shirley Ewang, Senior Advocacy Specialist at Gatefield said by taking the necessary steps to amend the Cybercrimes Act fully, the federal government can play a vital role in strengthening Nigeria’s legal framework to safeguard the right to freedom of expression.

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The coalition also called for safeguards against possible abuse by more explicitly requiring judicial oversight and that Nigeria’s legal framework must uphold all fundamental rights as it continues to evolve with the use of technology.