Thewill Editorial: The Increasing Clamp Down On Bloggers Unnecessary
BEVERLY HILLS, AUGUST 24, (THEWILL) – There are fears that the Nigeria's new media may soon be in for censorship going by the wave of clamp down on bloggers. In recent times, authorities at various level have arrested and prosecuted some bloggers for expressing themselves via social media platforms.
One of those recently arrested is Abubakar Sidiq Usman, who is the publisher of Abudusiqu.com. He was reportedly abducted from his Abuja home by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over an allegation of cyber stalking.
According to the commission's spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the suspect contravened a section of the Cyber Crime Act. Section 3(4) which states that any person who through text messages, tweets, WhatsApp, or any other social media platforms posts any abusive statement, knowing same to be false, shall be guilty of an offence. Upon conviction, he shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of two years or a fine of two million naira.
The blogger had published that the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was a bully to his staff. He also alleged that the chairman is corrupt and was getting jittery over the possibility of his appointment not getting Senate confirmation.
In Ogun State, another blogger, Emmanuel Ojo, was earlier arrested by the state's police command for writing what it termed a false report against the wife of the state governor, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun. Ojo was accused of posting a message on his Facebook account, which was deemed to be false and calculated to embarrass the first family in Ogun state.
More recently, there was another case of a blogger in Bauchi state, Musa Azare, opposed to the Bauchi State government, who was arrested only last week for the same 'Cyber Stalking’. Thankfully, the state governor, Mohammed Abubakar ordered his immediate release, explaining on his verified Twitter handle, that he ordered the immediate release of Azare after reading the reports of his alleged offences. The Governor maintained that as a lawyer, he believes in the freedom of speech enjoyed by Nigerians.
This goes to show that the Cyber Stalking Act cannot stand the test of time as it denies Nigerians their inalienable right to freedom of expression and their use of the social media platform to expose the malfeasance of government officials. Freedom of expression is a universal declaration to which Nigeria subscribes. Hence, any law that proscribes it only makes a mockery of Nigeria's democracy.
THEWILL considers it petty for the Federal Government or its agencies to be dissipating so much energy on matters concerning bloggers, when there are more important issues that require their urgent attention. At a time when the economy is heading south and there are various high-profile corruption cases to be concluded, trivial issues such as the arrest of bloggers should be the least matter to occupy the minds of those in authority.
We want to reiterate that an attack on bloggers is a direct attack on the freedom of speech as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended.
THEWILL hails the Bauchi Governor for his uncommon display of maturity in ordering the immediate release of the blogger believed to be opposed to his government. Others should take a cue from him by not allowing themselves to be distracted by the activities of bloggers who are merely exercising their freedom of speech as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
If a blogger runs afoul of the law, there are appropriate channels to seek redress. Anyone who is offended by the activities of citizen journalists should approach the courts for redress. To resort to brute force in an atmosphere of free press is to say the least, barbaric.
Although the Act first came to light during the era of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, there should be no place for it under the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, nay any democratic dispensation.
Under the circumstance, we demand a repeal of the Act or an amendment to reflect the universal declaration of freedom of expression and of free press. The role of the media, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm cannot be railroaded into cowardice.
The media has the right to report the activities of public officials so long as such reports are factual, meet other ethical demands, and do not infringe on the subject's rights to privacy. Bloggers, therefore, have the responsibility to ensure that their posts satisfy the rigours of best practices in journalism.