In Brief
By Lawrence Zongo
(Jos) Protesting citizens took to the streets on Monday, 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.
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!”
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.
Read the complete story on the April 7 protests HERE
Lawrence Zongo is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
