NIGERIA: Lawyer Counters Police Force PRO, Says Cursing Online Not A Crime

By Baba Onoja, Abuja, Nigeria 

A human right lawyer and activist, Inibehe Effiong has urged Nigerians not to take seriously the advice of the Police Force Public Relation Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi’s terming cursing someone online as a criminal offense and cyber bullying.

Inibehe took to his verified Facebook account on Friday, shortly after Adejobi made his assertion in a post earlier on X.com (formerly Twitter) on Friday, sparking debates among Nigerians about the limits of freedom of expression in the digital age.

African Culture TV had reported that in his post, Adejobi clarified that abusive language targeting individuals on social media is neither a form of criticism nor an exercise of free speech.

He said: “Raining direct curses on someone online is cyberbullying, not expression of freedom or criticism. And cyberbullying, which is even different from defamation, is a criminal offence and punishable. Be guided.”

The post came amid growing concerns about online harassment and cyberbullying in Nigeria, particularly on social media platforms.

Experts have emphasised the need for stricter enforcement of existing laws to curb harmful online behavior, which has far-reaching implications for victims’ mental health and well-being.

However, tackling the police PRO, the human lawyer said: “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.

“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 of be termed a crime, it must be expressly and specifically defined as such under a written law.

“This Force PRO has a history of inventing imagery offences from his head.

“Also, curses do not constitute 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.

“What is more appalling is the fact that the supposed image maker of the Nigeria Police Force does not know that the Cybercrimes Act had since been amended, and that the notorious wordings of the provisions of the old Section 24 which the police has been using to witch-hunt critics has been repealed.

“I urge Nigerians to ignore the misleading statement of the Force PRO as same is baseless.

“What a shame!”

Adejobi, had declared that the act of raining direct curses on individuals online is a form of cyber bullying and a criminal offence under the law.