The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has trained 20 legal practitioners on emerging issues around digital rights in Nigeria.
The two-day training, held in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) on Thursday and Friday, brought together 10 lawyers and 10 magistrates from across the country.
CITAD’s Digital Rights Officer, Ali Sabo, said the training was aimed at helping participants understand and protect citizens’ rights in the digital space.
He noted that violations of digital rights have become frequent, often targeting journalists, critics, and opposition figures. He added that while the Cybercrime Act of 2015 was meant to address online offences, it is sometimes used to clamp down on free speech.
Sabo also listed online gender-based violence, misinformation, and fake news as growing problems, some of which have led to loss of lives.
“Protecting digital rights is inseparable from safeguarding human freedoms such as freedom of expression, association, movement, and access to information, both online and offline,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria’s fast shift into a technology-driven future, with artificial intelligence and robotics becoming more common, makes it even more urgent for the judiciary to defend citizens’ online rights.
“The right to the internet is no longer a privilege; it is a fundamental right that must be guaranteed to all,” he said.
Sabo also called for stronger laws to hold big technology companies accountable, especially in the Global South, and urged the judiciary to take a more active role in handling cases of digital rights abuse.
