Why Tinubu Assented to Cyber Crime Law

DDM NEWS

Tinubu

Tinubu’s Regime has passed the bill for Cyber crime INTO Law:

It’s now a crime to record personal conversation of you and some one without his knowledge.

As you may be aware, the Cyber Crimes Bill has now become an Act of Parliament which means that it is now enforceable. Kindly bear in mind the following:

1. Section 3: It is an Offense to access someone’s phone or computer (5yrs imprisonment).
2. Section 4: It is an Offense to Modify, Delete, obstruct etc someone’s data (5yrs imprisonment)
3. Section 5: It is an Offence to communicate “critical information” to someone not authorised (15yrs imprisonment)
4. Section 6: !It is an offence to possess “critical information” (15yrs imprisonment)
5. Section 10: It is an offense to record private conversations even if you are part of the conversation (2yrs imprisonment)
6. Section 19:. It is an offence to publish information which is misleading (2yrs imprisonment)
7. Section 21: When you receive summons or police call outs, for Cyber Crimes its an offence to disclose that (5yrs)
8. Section 22: Its an offense to be rude, indecent or vulgar with intent to humiliate (2yrs imprisonment)
9. Section 24.: It is an act of domestic terrorism to attempt to incite ethnic divisions among the people of the Republic (Imprisonment for life)

Why all these laws
President Bola Tinubu’s administration passed the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 to update existing cybercrime laws, but it has sparked controversy due to concerns over its potential impact on free speech and human rights.

The law has been criticized for:
– Restrictive Provisions: The act contains vague and arbitrary provisions that could be used to suppress legitimate expression and punish peaceful critics, activists, journalists, and social media users.

– Human Rights Concerns: Critics argue that the law violates human rights, including freedom of expression and information, and could be used to harass, intimidate, and prosecute individuals for exercising their rights.

– Misuse by Authorities: There are concerns that law enforcement agencies may abuse the law to target critics and stifle dissenting voices.

Some notable cases that have raised concerns about the law’s application include
– Journalist Agba Jalingo’s Case: Jalingo was charged with cyberstalking over a report that a relative of a former governor of Cross River State had engaged someone to sit for law exams on her behalf.

-Activist Dele Farotimi’s Case: Farotimi faced cybercrime charges under the act for his online activities.

Chioma Okoli’s Case: Okoli was arrested for a Facebook comment about the sugar content of a tomato mix.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken the Tinubu government to the ECOWAS Court over the law, arguing that it is arbitrary, vague, and repressive

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