Despite the police warning against the action, some Nigerians have taken to the streets to protest against the weaponisation of the cybercrime act to suppress the freedom of information and bad governance in the country.

The protest, which was organised by the Take it Back Movement, a human rights organisation, was held in some megacities in the country, like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt, on Monday, 7th April 2025, and was addressed to the government to repeal the Cybercrime Act, which is being used lately to prosecute media practitioners and social media users who share dissenting positions against the authority.

In Lagos, the demonstration began at the Ikeja underbridge under the watch of the heavy presence of security agencies, including the police, the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, who followed the protesters to the State House of Assembly, which was locked.

Heavy Presence of Security Agencies at the Protest

The protesters were seen carrying banners and placards with different inscriptions like “Any law that forbids us from speaking our truths against oppression in Nigeria is no longer a law but a shackle of slavery” and “When a law becomes a tool of oppression, the citizens must unite to repeal it,” among others.

In a statement signed by the force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, on the evening of April 6th, 2025, the Nigeria Police warned against such a gathering, which they described as ill-timed and mischievous. The chosen date for the demonstration coincides with the date to commemorate Force Day, so it would clash with police activities.

The police force also pointed out that “while not against the exercise of citizens rights to peaceful assembly and association in Nigeria as enshrined in the Constitution, the Nigeria Police Force is deeply concerned about the motive behind such a protest scheduled on the same day the contributions of the Nigeria Police Force to national security are to be celebrated, putting into consideration that such a glamorous event would bring together dignitaries from all spheres of life both internationally and within the country, including foreign inspectors general of police and diplomats. 

“In line with best global practices adopted by nations in celebrating the achievements of their police institutions, the Nigerian government has taken the bull by the horns by declaring every April 7 as National Police Day” The rationale behind staging a nationwide protest on the same day is, however, questionable, as it is perceived to be a deliberate and unpatriotic attempt to tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police and the nation as a whole. The Nigeria Police Force hereby advises the organisers to shelve this planned protest, as it is ill-timed and mischievous.”

Despite the warning of the police, the protesters took to the streets for their demonstrations as earlier planned. Speaking with NDR, the national coordinator of the Take it Back movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, said the protest was needed to force the current administration of President Bola Tinubu to stop using the Cybercrime Act 2024 to silence the media and people’s freedom of expression in the country.

“Primary to this protest is the issue of governance, and secondary is the issue of free speech. We have a regime that is very desperate to roll back all of the democratic freedom we have won over the years, specifically with the use of the Cybercrime Act 2024 to harm, intimidate and oppress those on social media. Those who have fallen victim to the Cybercrime Act 2024 are journalists, activists, and opposition party leaders.

“ There is a reason the government of Tinubu is governing against authoritarian rule: the government of Tinubu declared a military rule in Rivers State by unconstitutionally suspending an elected government and posting an ex-naval officer. So looking at the trend, we can see that the suppression of free speech is leading to military government.

The reason for President Tinubu’s authoritarian policies is certainly basic: it is to continue to make anti-people policies, which is making life unbearable for the Nigerians.

Protesters during demonstration

Another Lagos protester who identified himself as Abass Alo condemned the government for its policies that are making life difficult for Nigerians and, at the same time, restricting them from expressing their grievances to the government.

He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision by the president to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspend the elected officials in the state, including a sitting governor.

“Let me state this: How can President Tinubu be expecting a beaten child not to cry? It is obvious that his policies are not favourable to us, and whenever we want to complain, he oppresses us with the Cybercrime Act, which is a weapon against our freedom of expression. This is nothing but a dictatorial practice, as it is in the military regime. See the way he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and brought in a military officer to replace a governor who was elected to office the same day as him. This scenario is becoming unbearable for us.

Another protester, Akifolahan Akinyemi, expressed a similar sentiment, stating that “we cannot remain silent while the government takes away our future and silences us simultaneously; we must always communicate.”

Likewise, the protest was held in Abuja, where the demonstrators carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Stop the Repression” and “Let Us Breathe” as they marched through the streets of the Federal Capital Territory. Among the protesters was the convener of the Take it Back movement, the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore.

However, unlike the peaceful demonstration that was recorded in Lagos, the protesters were dispersed by the operatives of the Nigeria Police with tear gas, leading to the scattering of the peaceful gathering as demonstrators ran for their safety.

Likewise in Rivers State, the protesters were scattered with teargas while they were marching the streets of Port Harcourt, the state capital, to demand an end to the cybercrime and the reinstatement of the suspended governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara.

The demonstration also took place in parts of the country, like in Oyo and Osun states, where some Nigerians took to the streets to demand freedom of expression and good governance in the country.