Police: Hurling insults online is cyberbullying — NOT free speech

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says hurling insults at persons online constitutes cyberbullying.

In a post on X on Friday, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said insulting a person online is not free speech.

According to UNICEF, cyberbullying involves the use of digital technologies such as social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones — to scare, anger or shame someone.

Adejobi warned against cyberbullying in the guise of freedom of speech.

“Raining direct curses on someone online is cyberbullying, not expression of freedom or criticism,” he wrote.

“And cyberbullying, which is even different from defamation, is a criminal offence and punishable. Be guided.”

In another post, Adejobi explained that defamation could be criminal or civil.

“We have it in the criminal law of our land, and it could be redressed in the court. So, if you decide to seek prosecution, it’s allowed. We need to be guided. We have criminal defamation,” he said.

Most forms of cyberbullying are prosecuted under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2015.

‘NO LAW SUPPORTS YOUR CLAIM’

Replying to the post, Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer, said there is no law backing the claim of the police spokesperson.

“This is ignorance of the law raised to power 1000. The fact that this very ridiculous opinion is from the spokesperson of the primary law enforcement agency in Nigeria says a lot about the decadence of our institutions,” he said.

“To be clear, raining curses on someone is not a criminal offence, and I challenge the Force PRO to cite any law that supports his statement.

“By virtue of Section 36 (12) of the Nigerian Constitution, for an act or omission to be termed a crime, it must be expressly and specifically defined as such under a written law.

“Also, curses do not constitute a threat to the life of the person that is cursed. Curses do not have effect or value in the eyes of the law for the simple reason that they are premised on superstition, or at best the supernatural forces.

“For example, telling someone ‘it shall not be well with you’ is a prayer; prayer can be positive or negative. Wishing someone evil is also not a matter for legal redress.

“The law does not concern itself with trifling things or spiritual matters.”

Inibehe said Adejobi’s statement is “misleading and baseless”.