With Focus on Suppression of Free Speech
By Lawrence Zongo
(Jos) From Lagos to Abuja to Jos they took to the streets on April 7 to denounce government gags on free expression, especially pertaining to persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria.
A wave of coordinated protests denounced the controversial Cybercrime Act of 2015—increasingly used to silence dissent, repress journalism, and target whistleblowers.
The protest was led by the Take It Back Movement (TIB), a Human Rights Pressure Group, and other civil society organizations, marking one of the largest civic demonstrations since the EndSARS protests of 2020. Protesters called for the immediate repeal of the Cybercrime Act, which they say has morphed from a law meant to curb internet fraud into a weapon against democracy.
“Today in Abuja, we gathered to express our concerns regarding the Cybercrime Act and its implications under the current regime of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” announced Omoyele Sowore, founder of the Take it Back Movement on Facebook.
“Our peaceful protest aimed to raise awareness about the impact of such legislation on our rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, we faced an unexpected response from the Nigeria Police Force,” he added.
The protests also cast a spotlight on the broader crisis of bad governance, citing the government’s failure to address mass atrocities such as the current pogrom against Christians in Bokos, Plateau State. In Rijana forest in Kaduna, as many as 800 kidnapped hostages await rescue by the authorities. In Benue and Plateau States Christian communities are continuously under siege. Activists argue that while the federal government cracks down on tweets and Facebook posts, it does little to stop the bloodshed that has claimed thousands of lives.
In Abuja, dozens marched from Unity Fountain to the National Assembly Complex carrying placards that read: “Repeal the Gag Law!”
The protest could not be held in Kaduna due to fear of the Nigerian Police Force stationed in the state capital, according to Benard Binniyat, a volunteer for the International Committee of Nigeria (ICON). Benard told TruthNigeria he demanded answers to the federal government’s inaction over the notorious kidnapping and terror cells in Rijana forest, where victims are routinely tortured, ransomed, or killed, with suspected complicity from elements within the security forces.
“Rijana has become a sanctuary for kidnappers, jihadists, and Fulani militias. Victims include Christian missionaries, schoolchildren, and travelers, many of whom are tortured and executed while ransom negotiations fail or are deliberately sabotaged,” Binniyat said.
In Lagos, hundreds converged at Ojota and Ikeja under heavy police surveillance. Despite intimidation, protest leader Ayo Ibrahim declared in a Facebook Post, “This is no longer just about one law. It’s about an entire system that protects warlords and silences victims. We will not be quiet while terrorists reign and journalists rot in jail.”
In Port Harcourt, youth-led movements joined the protest, citing the use of the Cybercrime Act to harass bloggers reporting on corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). A young activist, Favour Chinedu, warned: “Today it’s Christian reporters in Kaduna. Tomorrow it’s us. This law is a noose around Nigeria’s democracy.”
“Chaos erupted today in Rivers State as police unleashed tear gas on protesters, leaving many injured. Eyewitness accounts reveal that even journalists on the scene faced brutal treatment at the hands of the Nigerian Police Force.
In Jos, the Plateau State capital, a peaceful rally was held at the Secretariat Junction, led by Take It Back (TIB) Plateau Coordinator, Mr. John Onah, who condemned the law as a “tool for dictatorship.” He told TruthNigeria, “When journalists such as Luka Binniyat and Stephen Kefas are jailed for exposing ethnic cleansing in Southern Kaduna, it shows the government’s priorities—silencing the messenger rather than stopping the massacre.”
Binniyat, a former Vanguard Newspaper Reporter, was arrested and jailed in 2017 and again in 2021 after reporting attacks by Fulani ethnic militias on Christian communities. Stephen Kefas, a Christian activist, critic of religious violence, and citizen journalist, was held for months without trial. Both were charged under the Cybercrime Act for supposed “false information” and “cyberstalking”—terms human rights groups say are dangerously vague and prone to abuse.
Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, International Christian Concern (ICC), and International Religious Freedom (IRF) have condemned these arrests as attacks on press freedom and the right to expose persecution.
“The Nigerian government refuses to clear Rijana forest. Why? Who is protecting the killers?” asked protester Esther Musa in Abuja in a text to TruthNigeria. “They can arrest a teenager for a tweet, but not a murderer in the forest. That is bad governance.” she added
The Rigwe ethnic group in Plateau State continues to suffer escalating violence, despite national peacebuilding rhetoric. On April 2, 2025, Dewi Terry Nah, a 33-year-old Christian farmer, was ambushed and stabbed to death near Twin Hill, Miango. Locals suspect Fulani extremists—part of the same militia networks active in Kaduna and Benue.
“Since 2001, Rigwe communities have endured 2,866 attacks, with 1,107 killed, 20,836 homes burned, and over 27,000 farms destroyed,” wrote Rev. Dr. Daniel Gya, President of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), in a Press release.
Gya said a 2022 peace accord facilitated by the United States Institute of Peace and Operation Safe Haven has done little to stop the bloodshed.
The December 22, 2024, massacre in Ri Do (Gidan Ado)—where 14 Christians were killed just 200 meters from a military checkpoint—remains a chilling reminder of impunity. One survivor, Linda Moses, is still hospitalized after losing five relatives in a single night, according to Gya.
Barryson Zanni, a protester in Jos, held a placard reading: “Freedom of Expression is a Right, Not a Privilege.” Zanni said he decried the silence of the Plateau State Government and demanded real action: “We are tired of condolences. Give us justice, not press releases,” Zanni said to TruthNigeria.
Miss Blessing Moses, also told TruthNigeria in Jos, voiced her outrage: “The government wants silence. But if we don’t speak, our people die in darkness. The Cybercrime Act must go.”
Lawrence Zongo is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
