By Zik Gbemre
Can the federal government, state governments and the Nigerian Police kill the voice of the people with offence of cyberstalking and cyberbullying?
Those who suppress the voice of the people are wasting their time. Any public officeholder who is afraid of criticism should resign. As long as you hold public office, either elected or appointed, you must be criticised for erring. If you are scared, then quit public office.
APC led government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is elected and not a military administration so it is shameful that we are now hearing of cyberstalking and cyberbullying offence as if that is Nigeria’s problem.
Recently, Fejiro Oliver was arrested by Delta State Police Command and charged for cyberstalking and cyberbullying for calling Senator Dafinone ‘DODO’ Senator.
The Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression in Section 39, protecting every person’s right to hold opinions and ideas without interference.
These fundamental rights are detailed in Chapter 1V of the 1999 Constitution, essential for a democratic society and are also recognised in international human rights instruments.
The so-called cyberstalking and cyberbullying offences are anti-freedom of speech and expression in section 39 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to Barr Stanley Odogun: “1. Magistrate courts have no Jurisdiction to entertain capital or serious Criminal offences.
“2. A State High Court and Federal High Court have Jurisdiction to entertain capital offences as the court of first instance, in the Nigerian criminal justice system.
“3. We need a law to clearly state that Nigerian police should not charge people to magistrate court in Nigeria, where a particular offence is above a magistrate court’s power or where a particular offence is a capital or serious criminal offences.
“The problem is the police. The Police as an institution is used as a tool to punish people, when they charge offenders to magistrate courts. The law is that where a person is charged to Magistrate court and the Magistrate has no Jurisdiction.
“The court mostly as a court of First instance mostly remand offenders in custody, when offenders are remanded the complainant goes home happy and that is what the complainant wants to achieve through the police, the police is used as an instrument of intimidation by privileged Nigerian elites to silence the voice of common Nigerians who are helpless.
“This kind of situation where persons are charged to court to remand such persons is a clear case of intimidation and abuse of power by public officeholders. Most importantly. Nigeria is operating a Democratic system of Government, where constructive criticism is one of the characteristics of Democratic system.
“If any public officeholder either elected or appointed if he/she feels offended by critics for erring his or her opinion against the government of the day should approach High Court for civil defamation lawsuits rather than using the Nigerian police that is being paid salaries with public funds and taxpayers money to use unpopular offences of cyber stalking and cyber bullying to clamp down on critics as Abacha did in his evil military administration.
“As for the Nigerian police led by Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun shouldn’t render themselves to be used by politicians to clamp down on critics and journalists. The Nigerian police should be directed by President Tinubu from arresting and charging people to magistrate courts that don’t have Jurisdiction to entertain such matters. The State Chief judges of all states of Nigeria should direct their magistrates to stop using their courts to detain innocent people.
“In the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Freedom of speech is one of the Fundamental Rights of Nigerians provided in the Constitution, where persons are arrested, charge to court and remanded in custody for speaking against an existing authority is in breach of violation of the constitution which the existing authority sworn to uphold at all time for the tenure of his office.
“It appears that Nigeria is not operating a clear Democratic system of Government,what we operate is “Democra-Military system of Government, which is abnormal system of Government.”
Nigeria has returned to dark age of the military administration led by Gen Abacha where voices of critics were killed and this sent Anthony Enahoro and many other pro-democracy activists to self exile in foreign countries, is that what President Tinubu returned Nigeria to with their cyber stalking and cyber bullying offences which are aimed to clamp down the critics of government as Abacha did in 1994 against pro-democracy activists.
Has Tinubu forgotten and Nigerian Police forgotten how some prominent Nigerians were intimidated, harassed, arrested and detained with frivolous ant-democracy decrees while others fled Nigeria for daring to tell Abacha to hand over power to M.K.O Abiola and criticised his military administration.
We shouldn’t forget how Anthony Enahoro, Beko Ransome Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Frank Ovie Kokori, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alex Ibru, Alfred Rewane,Cornelius Adebayo, Alani Akirinade, Olu Onagoruwa, Abraham Adesanya, Olu Falae, Kudirat Abiola, Wole Soyinka, Tanko Umar, Ebitu Ukiwe, Ndubuisi Kanu and others were terrorised and some were injured and assassinated by evil military administration led by Abacha.
Is Nigeria returning to the dark days of Abacha’s era, when the voices of critics were silenced? It is shameful that under Tinubu, Nigeria is witnessing anti-democratic laws of cyber stalking and cyberbullying.
Any public officeholder either elected or appointed if feels offended by critics for erring his or her opinion against the government of the day should approach High Court for civil defamation lawsuits rather than using the Nigerian police that is being paid salaries with public funds and taxpayer’s money to use unpopular offences of cyber stalking and cyber bullying to clamp down on critics as Abacha did in his evil military administration.
As for the Nigerian police led by Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun shouldn’t allow themselves to be used by politicians to clamp down on critics and journalists.
The Nigerian police should be directed by President Tinubu and Attorney General of the federation from arresting and charging people to magistrate courts that don’t have Jurisdiction to entertain such matters. The State Chief judges of all states of Nigeria should direct their magistrates to stop using their courts to detain innocent people.
Zik Gbemre
October 8,2025
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