‘Withdraw cybercrimes, defamation charges against Sowore, X, Facebook’, SERAP, Amnesty tell Tinubu

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Amnesty International person urged President Bola Tinubu to “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN to instantly retreat the charges against activistic Omoyele Sowore, X [formerly Twitter] and Facebook owners implicit Mr Sowore’s alleged captious and ‘anti-Tinubu’ posts connected the societal media platforms.”

SERAP and Amnesty International urged him to “direct the Department of State Services (DSS) and different information and instrumentality enforcement agencies to instantly halt misusing the judicial processes to soundlessness nationalist disapproval and interruption Nigerians’ rights done the usage of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) oregon akin forms of harassment.”

SERAP and Amnesty International besides urged him to “direct Mr Fagbemi to urgently hole an anti-SLAPP authorities for the National Assembly, to support Nigerians from the weaponization of the justness strategy by the DSS and different information and instrumentality enforcement agencies and to safeguard the close to state of expression.”

In the missive dated 20 September 2025 and jointly signed by SERAP lawman manager Kolawole Oluwadare and AI Nigeria manager Isa Sanusi, the groups said, “the weaponization of the justness strategy to crackdown connected peaceful dissent is wholly inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s planetary quality rights obligations.”

The groups said, “SLAPP and transgression defamation lawsuits are neither indispensable nor proportionate nether the Nigerian Constitution and quality rights treaties to which Nigeria is simply a authorities party. Such lawsuits make a chilling effect that inhibits the enjoyment of quality rights and circulation of ideas and information.”

According to the groups, “A suit challenging the legality and compatibility of the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 with the rights to state of look and accusation is besides pending earlier the ECOWAS Court.”

The groups said, “As a substance of the regularisation of law, the DSS and different information and instrumentality enforcement agencies cannot and should not usage the amended Act to soundlessness peaceful dissent pending the proceeding and determination of the suit by the court.”

The letter, work successful part: “Your authorities has the ineligible obligations to forestall harassment done ineligible processes against Nigerians peacefully exercising their quality rights, and to support the legitimacy, independency and impartiality of the proceeding of the suit connected the Cybercrimes Act pending earlier the ECOWAS Court.”

“The usage of SLAPP and transgression defamation lawsuits is incompatible with the cardinal principles of a antiauthoritarian society, to which Nigeria aspires. Politicians and different nationalist officials and agencies should tolerate a precocious grade of disapproval owed to their nationalist presumption successful antiauthoritarian societies.”

“Nigerian authorities not lone person a antagonistic work to abstain from unduly interfering with quality rights but besides person a affirmative work to facilitate and support these rights.”

“Freedom of look is simply a cardinal quality close and afloat enjoyment of this close is cardinal to achieving idiosyncratic state and to processing democracy. It is not lone the cornerstone of democracy, but indispensable to a thriving civilian society.”

“Any restrictions connected quality rights including the close to state of look indispensable conscionable the conditions of legality, service arsenic 1 of the morganatic purposes expressly provided for successful the Nigerian Constitution and quality rights treaties, and indispensable beryllium necessary, and proportionate to that purpose.”

“Nigerian courts and determination quality rights courts person consistently held that politicians should expect acold greater disapproval of their actions and their functioning than mean individuals. These courts and different quality rights mechanisms person renounced the usage of defamation arsenic a ineligible instrumentality to suffocate dissent.”

“The usage of SLAPP and transgression defamation lawsuits by information and instrumentality enforcement agencies with the intent of silencing disapproval is simply a menace to state of expression. SLAPP lawsuits airs superior risks to ideology and ...