Now, more than ever before, there's an urgent need to tickle our consciousness and create a strong awareness amongst us concerning the reality and existence of the Nigerian Cybercrime Law, which was signed into Law in 2015 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, as he was leaving office. This law criminalises the spread of fake news …
Now, more than ever before, there’s an urgent need to tickle our consciousness and create a strong awareness amongst us concerning the reality and existence of the Nigerian Cybercrime Law, which was signed into Law in 2015 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, as he was leaving office. This law criminalises the spread of fake news and the abuse of the internet/social media. The alarming thing is that many are not even aware of the reality and existence of this law. Interestingly, ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Just a few months back, some youths from one of the parishes of the Celestial Church of Christ were clamped into detention at the Nigeria Police (FCIID) Alagbon, for violating the Nigeria Cybercrime Law. Their postings on the internet had caught the attention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and instructions were passed that scapegoats be made of these erring youths. They spent the night in police detention at Alagbon wearing the Sutana of the Celestial Church of Christ. But for the timely intervention of His Eminence, Reverend E.M.F. Oshoffa, some members of the Board of Trustees and the Pastor in Council, these youths would have ended up being prosecuted and probably convicted. Imagine the damage that this would have done to the image of our great church.
The Nigerian Cybercrime Law is alive and real! Daily, many are running foul of this Law out of sheer ignorance. Regularly too, the full weight of this Law is being brought to bear on many violators.
On Friday, 31st March, 2023, popular blogger Blessing Okoro, a relationship blogger popularly known as Blessing CEO, was remanded at the female section of the Nigerian Correctional Services facility at Kirikiri, Apapa, by a Lagos Federal High Court presided over by Justice Yelim Bogoro.
The blogger was accused of sending messages and using her Instagram handle @officialblessingceo to bully, threaten and harass one Folasade Samuels. She was also accused of using her Instagram handle @officialblessingceo to injure the reputation of one Folasade Samuels and her late sister, Bimbo Ogbonna, by exposing them to hatred, contempt and ridicule.
Justice Bogoro after hearing from both parties adjourned the matter till 30th May, 2023, for hearing and ordered that the Relationship Blogger be remanded at the female section of NCoS facility at Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos.
In the light of the foregoing and given the frightening reality that “Our Church has the highest number of members who use their private as well as public social media handles to run negative campaigns against their own church, Pastor, Elders and others,” we serve you this eye opening and educative article on the Nigeria Cybercrime Law (2025), published in The Nation Newspaper on 29th March, 2023. Read through and stay guided:
Why You Can Be Arrested for Cyberstalking, Cyberbullying, Others…
The Nation
March 29, 2023
Recently, the Police arrested a social media influencer Nnamdi Chude for alleged cyberstalking.
His arrest elicited reactions on social media platforms.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the social media influencer was arrested following a petition about his activities on social media which contravened some established laws.
This development has raised the consciousness of the need for social media users to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the law and be aware of the penalties for committing cybercrime, especially with the advent of the digital media space.
Checks by The Nation revealed that the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 provides for an effective, unified and comprehensive legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of cybercrimes in Nigeria.
Arguments have been made that the provision of the Cybercrime Act 2015 on cyberstalking violates the right to freedom of expression.
For some, the legislation is effective, to an extent, to combat cyberstalking in Nigeria. But again, laws on cyberstalking do not, in itself, infringe on the right to freedom of expression but could be wielded by the government to silence critics.
The act also ensures the protection of critical national information infrastructure and promotes cybersecurity and the protection of computer systems and networks, electronic communications, data and computer programs, intellectual property and privacy rights.
Cyberstalking, committed through the use of a computer against one person of another, is an example of these new-age crimes.
As cyberstalking is quickly becoming a common phenomenon globally, several countries have responded by legislating against it.
The word ‘cyberbullying’ is often used interchangeably with ‘cyber stalking’. On the other hand, Cybersquatting refers to a situation where an individual registers a domain name in bad faith with the intention to profit from the goodwill of someone else’s brand, trademark or company name.
Victims of cyberstalking and cyberbullying are advised to make a timeous report to a lawyer, the police or any other lawful authority and seek remedy and compensation where need be.
Cyberbullying also refers to an act of harming or harassing a person using information technology thereby using insulting remarks and threatening messages sent by e-mail or spreading rumors about the person either by e-mail or social networking site.
It also includes posting embarrassing photos and videos to hurt any person or making derogatory remarks against the person’s gender, race, religion, or nationality.
Also, Cyberstalking refers to an act where a person uses the internet and other technologies to harass or stalk another person online, by using electronic communication devices like mobile phones, instant messaging or messages posted to a website or a discussion group for the reason of anger, revenge or control.
It can also be simply said to be the use of electronic communications to harass or frighten someone and is often methodical, deliberate, and persistent.
One of the offences prohibited under the Act is “Cyberstalking” which can be found under Section 24 of the Act. It provides that —
(1) Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that —
(a) is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be so sent; or
(b) he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent commits an offense under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
The Act further prescribes a punishment of a term of 10 years and/or a minimum of N25,000,000.00 fine for anyone who further bully, threaten or harass another person, where such communication places another person in fear of death, violence or bodily harm by intentionally transmitting through a computer system any information containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to harm the person, or any demand or request for a ransom for the release of any kidnapped person, to extort the person, firm, association or corporation.
In addition, the Act expressly provides in for imprisonment for a term of 5 years and or a minimum fine of N15,000,000.00 for anyone who intentionally transmits any information through a computer that contains any threat to harm the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, to extort from any person, firm association or corporation any money or other things of value.
Furthermore, a court sentencing or otherwise dealing with a person convicted of any of the offences above may also make an order, which may, for the purpose of protecting the victim or victims of the offence, or any other person mentioned in the order, from further conduct which amounts to harassment or will cause fear of violence, death or bodily harm and prohibit the defendant from doing anything described/specified in the order. Where the person does anything which he is prohibited from doing by the order he shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N10,000,000.00 fine or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
It is important to note that cyberbullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mails or text harassing someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender.
It may also include public actions such as repeated threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels i.e. hate speech or defamatory false accusations, ganging up on a victim by making the person the subject of ridicule in online forums, hacking into or vandalizing sites about a person, posting false statements as fact aimed at discrediting or humiliating a targeted person, posting rumors about a person on the internet with the intention of bringing about hatred in others’ minds or convincing others to dislike or participate in online denigration of a target or personally identifying victims of crime and publishing materials severely defaming or humiliating them.
