Group accuses FG of manipulating Cybercrime Act to suppress media

A human rights lawyer and managing partner, Law Corridor, Pelumi Olajengbesi, and other rights groups have condemned attempts by the federal government and its agencies to manipulate and suppress the media via the Cybercrime Act 2015.

Similarly, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), said it tracked and verified 52 attacks on journalists by the state in 2022 alone.

They have tasked journalists in the line of duties on the need to understand the scope of cybercrime in order to engage the authorities appropriately.

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They spoke in Abuja Saturday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Correspondents’ Chapel end-of-year symposium with the title; ‘Understanding the Cybercrime Act 2015, The Media ethics perspective’.

Olajengbesi who was the guest speaker at the symposium noted that journalists as crucial stakeholders must be given space to thrive in order to play its role as enshrined by relevant sections of the constitution.

“The media is the bridge between state and the public and despite operating under a stringent media framework, they must be encouraged to contribute their quota at ensuring that the public is accurately informed.

“When you have access to certain information, endeavor to verify it before sending such information out. By doing so, they would be helping in building a decent society,” he said.