A new report by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has accused the Tinubu administration of witnessing a surge in attacks on journalists and media freedom, through the misuse of the Cybercrime Act by law enforcement agencies to target critics and suppress dissent.
The report, released on Monday and titled: “The onslaught intensifies: A mid-term assessment report on media freedom under the Tinubu administration,” documents 141 cases of violations against journalists, media workers, and citizens from May 29, 2023, to May 29, 2025.
The MRA, in its findings, said the police were responsible for 61 of these cases (43.26%), while the Department of State Services (DSS) accounted for seven (4.96%).
It asserted that together, the two agencies were implicated in nearly half of the recorded attacks on freedom of expression during the period.
MRA’s Communications Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, stated that the federal government bears legal responsibility for the actions of its security agents under Principle 20(5) of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa.
In the report’s preface, MRA Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, decried what he described as a growing pattern of repression, including politically motivated arrests, surveillance, censorship, and regulatory overreach.
“We are seeing threats to media freedom in Nigeria through the continued implementation of repressive laws, such as the Cybercrime Act, which is frequently used to target, silence or punish journalists,” he said.
Among the report’s most disturbing revelations was the continued abuse of Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015, which MRA said is routinely weaponized to arrest and prosecute journalists and online users for expressing dissent.
Read also:
- Minister pledges stakeholders’ collaboration on enacting Cybercrime Act
- N’iger Delta Students launch campaign against drug abuse, cybercrime
- Police, security agents tear-gassed protesters, arrest activists in FCT
Specific cases cited include the arrests of Emmanuel Uti, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Destiny Ekhorutomuen, a blogger in Edo State, four editors and reporters from Informant247 in Kwara State, and lawyer and human rights activist, Dele Farotimi, among others.
Many of those detained, the report noted, were subjected to prolonged incarceration or granted excessive bail conditions.
The international community has also weighed in. In June 2025, the heads of mission of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, and Finland issued a rare joint statement criticizing the federal government’s misuse of the Cybercrime Act and calling for urgent reform.
MRA also condemned the administration’s treatment of peaceful protests and dissent as criminal acts.
The report said some protesters, including minors, have been charged with treason, a capital offence, while journalists covering such events have been arrested, brutalized, and had their equipment destroyed, with no accountability for the perpetrators.
“It’s deeply ironic and troubling that President Bola Tinubu, once a pro-democracy activist and media owner, now leads an administration increasingly defined by repression of the very freedoms he once championed,” said Adewale.
MRA is urging the National Assembly, the judiciary, civil society, and international allies to pressure the Tinubu administration to implement meaningful reforms to safeguard media freedom and protect democratic rights in Nigeria.
