Journalist union wants review of 2015 Cybercrime Act

The Nigeria Union Of Journalists says the Cybercrime Act 2015, has become an instrument used by the authorities to hunt its members.

This came to the fore at a Symposium on Understanding the Cybercrime Act, the Media Ethics Perspectives.

An intellectual engagement among media practitioners and other key actors on the vexed issue of the seven-year-old Cybercrime Law in Nigeria.

The CyberCrime Act 2015 prohibits unauthorized access to computers and illegal use of digital information.

Online journalism has grown due to an increase in Internet access and many have become citizen journalists.

In the past few months, many journalists have been hounded into detention and tried for Cyber Crime related Offences.

Whereas the Nigerian Constitution guarantees press freedom and freedom of speech, the Cybercrime Act takes away that right and NUJ says it needs to be reviewed.

But it cautions members not to break the news and break the nation since everyone needs the entity called Nigeria

For the Guest Speaker, Legal Practitioner, Pelumi Olajengbesi, determining what constitutes National Security is relative.

This according to him makes it easy for the authorities to go after critics and makes it difficult for Journalists to do their jobs.

Nonetheless, he tasks journalists and all online writers to be mindful of what they publish.

Adding that ignorance is not an excuse in Law.

The Cybercrime Act 2015 was enacted as an act of the National Assembly to among other things address the issue of Crimes against National Security, Cyber Bullying, and Other such infractions that were common and have almost become a part of everyday life.

The Nigerian Union of Journalists and Other Stakeholders have complained about the implementation of the Law in Several parts of the Country accusing the authorities of witch-hunting Journalists Citizen Journalists and even critics.