Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong accused Nigeria Police Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi of misusing an amended section of the Cybercrimes Act to intimidate a citizen regarding a social media post.
Effiong highlighted that the law referenced by Adejobi was outdated and no longer in effect.
The controversy arose when Adejobi shared a framed photograph on his social media page featuring all past and present Inspector Generals of Police, “Former and current indigenous IGPs in Nigeria. We celebrate you all (living and late). Ire oo.”
A user with the handle @hommiesdrey, responding to the post, labeled all the Inspector Generals of Police as corrupt, describing them as “Living and late criminals from the most corrupt civil organization in the entire multiverse.”
This comment angered Muyiwa Adejobi, who referred to the Cybercrime Prohibition Act (offences) and indicated that the user would be required to substantiate the claim, hinting at the possibility of arrest for the statement.
He said, “You will repeat it with evidence soon. It’s a matter of time. He needs to prove that all the past IGPs are corrupt or criminals. It’s a simple thing. He should know that the only court that has jurisdiction over the Cybercrime Prohibition Act (offences) is the Federal High Court.”
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Reacting to the issue, Mr Inibehe described the comment of the police PRO as disgraceful and misleading.
He said, “It is disgraceful that the Force PRO has been alluding to a law that no longer exist in Nigeria.
“The provisions of the infamous Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2015 that the police has been using to harass Nigerians has been repealed by the National Assembly and replaced with a radically different and new provision.
“The amended Act was assented to by President (Bola) Tinubu in February 2024. Under the new Act, posts which are injurious to a person’s reputation is no longer a crime. The new Act limits the offence of cyberstalking to messages sent by means of a computer which are: (a) pornographic; (b) a threat to the life of another; or (c) likely to lead to a breakdown of law and order.
“In this specific case, the post made by this individual is neither pornographic, life threatening nor capable of leading to a breakdown of law and order.
“By virtue of Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, an act or omission is only an offence if it so defined expressly in a written law. Nigerians should ignore the Force PRO.”
“Calling someone a criminal is not a crime under the new Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act (as amended).
“Insult is not a crime under the Act.
“Rather than focus of ways of salvaging the bastardized image of the police, the Force PRO is constantly ruining the image of the police further with his lack of professionalism and disdain for the rights of citizens,” he added.
