Legal and human rights experts have warned that Nigeria is witnessing a troubling rise in Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, SLAPP, with journalists, activists, and human rights defenders increasingly targeted through court actions aimed at intimidation rather than justice.
They raised this alarm while speaking at a two-day capacity-building workshop in Lagos organized under the European Union–funded e-Rights Project.
Associate Professor Abiodun Odusote of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, said digital rights and free expression are under threat as powerful individuals and institutions now resort to litigation to suppress criticism.
Odusote explained that while Nigerians have constitutionally protected rights to privacy, free expression, and non-discrimination online, those who express critical opinions, especially journalists, activists, and lawyers, are being confronted with criminal defamation, injunctions, and other court actions designed purely to punish or silence them.
“These cases are not filed to be won,” he said. “The goal is to scare critics, detain them over a weekend or longer, impose harsh bail conditions, and stop them from speaking truth to power. Many judges may not even realise the cases are frivolous because they appear legitimate on the surface.”
He stressed that Nigeria currently has no dedicated anti-SLAPP legislation, leaving courts open to manipulation by those seeking to weaponize legal procedures against public interest reporting.
On the available defenses for journalists who report truthfully, Odusote noted that justification, qualified privilege, and free expression are recognized defenses under the law. However, he warned that the process itself is often the punishment.
“A journalist may eventually win in court, but only after spending weeks or months in detention,” he said. “This is why urgent legislation is needed.”
Country Representative of Avocats Sans Frontières France, ASF France, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said SLAPP cases, often disguised as defamation, libel, or false news, are becoming a systematic tool for silencing journalists in Nigeria.
According to her, ASF France is training journalists from Lagos, Imo and other states to identify SLAPP suits, understand their rights, and know how to respond when targeted.
“These lawsuits drain journalists’ resources, silence their voices and weaken press freedom,” she said. “We cannot allow the legal system to be manipulated to suppress criticism, especially in a democracy.”
Uwandu confirmed that the EU-funded e-Rights Project enables ASF France to provide free legal assistance and defense for journalists facing such attacks.
She noted that the Cybercrimes Act has been repeatedly misused to prosecute journalists since 2015, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s rising SLAPP incidents.
“Nigeria ranks very high globally in the use of SLAPP,” she said. “Existing laws are being abused, and this pushes journalists into self-censorship. The government must enact legislation that protects press freedom and stops the misuse of laws to target dissent.”
