Free expression is the foundation of an open society. We defend journalists and activists who face intimidation, charges, or platform censorship, resisting the misuse of cybercrime and defamation laws to silence dissent.
The pattern we see
Press freedom in Nigeria is rarely curtailed by a single dramatic act. It is worn down by a series of smaller ones: an arrest that lasts a few days, a charge that takes a year to answer, a regulator’s notice that makes editors cautious, a remark from a public official that everyone in the newsroom hears clearly.
Each of those has a name and a file.
- A reporter with Secret Reporters, Stanley Ugagbe, held at the Kuje Custodial Centre since July over three published investigations, facing six counts — four of them under the Cybercrimes Act.
- The FCT Minister’s threat against a Channels Television anchor for a question asked on air.
- The National Broadcasting Commission’s public notice threatening sanctions for “personal opinions” expressed by journalists, which we rejected outright.
- The murder of the political commentator Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu, over which we have petitioned the Kano State Police Command.
Why the criminal law is the wrong instrument
If a publication is false and damaging, the law of defamation already provides a remedy and the person injured is free to pursue it. What the criminal law adds is not justice. It is custody before anything has been proved, and a signal to every other newsroom about the cost of asking.
That is why we take cases that are uncomfortable to defend as well as easy ones. A protection that extends only to speech we admire is not a protection at all.
How we work
We act for journalists and commentators facing prosecution, intervene where regulators overreach, and work with others rather than alone — we are a member of the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom, alongside Nigerian media and civil society organisations defending journalists and whistleblowers.
If you are a journalist, blogger or commentator facing arrest, prosecution or regulatory pressure over your work, report a case to us.