By Shakirudeen Bankole
In recent years, the issue of state surveillance in Nigeria has become a topic of intense debate and concern among civil rights advocates, journalists, and the general public.
The increasing use of surveillance technologies by the government and capitalist-driven institutions, has raised questions about privacy, freedom of expression, and even potential for abuse of power and safety of citizens.
A journalist was recently arrested in Ipaja area of Lagos State by government security operatives. His offence was that he did a story that allegedly impugned on the person of a political elite. And instead of full disclosure of his whereabout when being arrested, the officials, mischievously triangulated his goggle map location to somewhere else, whereas, he was actually being whisked away to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The tracking of such a journalist and many other victims who have experienced similar situation, was made possible because of deployment of technological devices and digital software for tracking, heave-dropping, and discrete monitoring of citizens, often times, without their consent.
Such digital devices and apps include Close Circuit Television Camera (CCTV), Ransomware, and Malware (Pegasus), among others.
According to investigation, Force Disappearances tops the statistical table of kidnapping and Missing Persons’ chart in Nigeria, with near-zero chances of traceability, being found, or reunited with families.
Between 1999 and 2024, Nigeria has witnessed numerous cases of forced disappearances, kidnappings, and extrajudicial killings, often linked to state surveillance and security operations.
According to Amnesty International, over 1,200 people were victims of extrajudicial killings by security forces between 2011 and 2020. Additionally, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that over 22,000 people were missing in Nigeria as of 2020, many of whom were believed to have been forcibly disappeared by state actors.
At a 2-day workshop on Digital Security and Safety, tagged “Digital Safety Resilience” organized in Lagos by the Human Right Journalists Network Nigeria (HRJN), in partnership with Citizens Gavel, and support from Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, recently, participants further ventilated the concerns around safety and security of lives and properties, both online and offline.
The parley was held at the International Press Center, Ogba area of Lagos State. It brought together cybersecurity experts, Journalists, Lawyers, IT professionals, policymakers, and digital rights advocates, to discuss pressing issues in the realm of digital safety and cybersecurity in the country. The theme of the seminal was: “Digital Safety and Security Resilience.”
The workshop aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the digital landscape securely, focusing on zero vulnerability, digital access fortification, preempting and mitigating cybersecurity threats, password fortifications, and general precaution against ‘state surveillance’.
Facilitators at the event include Comrade Kehinde Adegboyega, Executive Director, HRJN; Israel Tijani Olatunji, a Cybersecurity Expert and Developer of ChatVe AI; Godstime Omorogbe, a Software Engineer; Blessing Oladunjoye, Co-founder of HRJN and Publisher, BONews; and Mr. Folarin Ajibade, Tech Officer at Citizen Gavel, with Shakirudeen Bankole Adeshina, HRJN’s Communications and Strategy Lead, moderating the event.
The highpoint of the two-day event was the free enlistment of all the participants on free VPN and the introduction of two Artificial Intelligence Apps, ChatVe and Podus AI, both of which are specific tailored virtual assistants for social activism and journalistic researches. While the VPN was handed to the frontline social activists to prevent their devices from infiltration of malware like Pegasus, ChatVE and Podus AI, besides being used for research, were going to be handy for real time fact-checking, language moderation, and online legal advices.
In his presentation on “State Surveillance,” Adegboyega, said “state surveillance is as dangerous as cybercrimes.”
He said government’s weaponization of technology and software to infiltrate people’s digital privacies, with the intent of spying on them, is a clear violation of their fundamental human rights and data privacy, as guaranteed under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and the country’s Data Protection Action 2015.
Adegboyega lamented that since return to civil rule in 1999, certain oppressive behaviors that were synonymous with military government, still persist in the country till today.
He said these behaviors include gauging of free press, intimidation of journalists, hounding of human rights activists, weaponization of poverty, wrongful imprisonment of critical voices, and general suppression of freedom of speech.
Adegboyega said these acts totally run counterproductive to the ideal of a true democracy and called on players in the civil society space to push back on the attacks, and insistently demand greater accountability.
The HRJN helmsman warns that state anti-terrorism programme may have made State Surveillance a necessity, its current modus operandi poses significant threat to individual’s privacy and freedom.
“The deployment of surveillance technologies without adequate legal safeguards and oversight mechanisms can lead to gross violations of human rights,” he asserts.
The legal framework governing surveillance in Nigeria is often criticized for being vague and insufficient. The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, for instance, grants the government broad powers to monitor electronic communications. Yet, critics argue that the Act lacks clear guidelines on the limits of surveillance and the protection of citizens’ privacy.
Adegboyega emphasizes the need for comprehensive legislation that balances national security interests with the protection of civil liberties.
“We need laws that clearly define the scope and limits of surveillance activities, ensure transparency, and provide for independent oversight to prevent abuse,” he says.
One of the most troubling aspects of state surveillance is its potential to stifle freedom of expression. Journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens may feel compelled to self-censor for fear of being monitored or targeted by the state.
This chilling effect undermines democratic principles and the free flow of information.
“Surveillance creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation,” Adegboyega explains. “When people know they are being watched, they are less likely to speak out against injustices or criticize government policies. This erodes the very foundation of our democracy.”
There have been several reported instances where state surveillance has been used to target political opponents, activists, and journalists. These cases highlight the potential for abuse when surveillance powers are not adequately checked.
“We must empower citizens to understand their rights and demand transparency from the government,” he urges. “Civil society organizations, the media, and the judiciary all have crucial roles to play in this national assignment of holding government accountable.”
The issue of state surveillance in Nigeria is a complex and multifaceted challenge that requires urgent attention. While the need for security is undeniable, it must not come at the expense of fundamental human rights. As Comrade Kehinde Adegboyega aptly puts it, “A society that sacrifices liberty for security will eventually lose both.”
On his part, Mr. Israel Tijani Olatunji, a Cybersecurity Expert, who spoke about attaining Zero Vulnerability on digital space, said Nigerians need to be wary of arbitrary behaviors that can expose them to the criminal activities of hackers and cyberbullies.
Israel acknowledged that though achieving absolute zero vulnerability is practically impossible due to the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats, one can, regardless, maintain relative safety and quietness when certain procedures are followed.
The procedures, according to him, include:
“Ensuring regular update of software and systems; conducting regular penetration tests to identify and address potential security gaps; avoiding real-time photo or video updates on social media; and educating co-workers, employees, spouse, siblings, and or employees about safe practices on the digital ecosystem.
“These measures are important to prevent digital assert thefts and traumatic pains that may be associated with loss of such assets,” he explained.
Israel explained that “digital safety encompasses a broad range of practices aimed at protecting users from online threats. The workshop highlighted the importance of digital literacy and safe online behaviors.
‘For instance, phishing, a poor but deceitful cloning of original websites of credible online platforms, is one of the most popular and enduring tactics of cybercriminals.
To prevent this, Israel, said Nigerian digital users must be sensitive, alert, and adopt reliable and secure model of communication by embracing encrypted communication channels for sensitive information, and as well as implementing robust data privacy measures to protect personal and organizational digital assets.
Also a developer of an Artificial Intelligence App called ChatVe, Israel took time to walk the participants through it operations, explaining that it creation was inspired by the need to cleanup the digital space off cyberbullies, fake news peddlers, and blackmailers.
In one of it features, unlike other AI apps, Israel, said, ChatVe features moderation in language usage, and automatically flags down any derogatory words, statements, or expressions that amount to prejudice or verbal toxicity.
“As you can see, there are sessions to check the civility of all expressions, including the word usage, phrasal catchment, and the general lexical structure. If it fails the decency text, the app automatically flags it as a toxic content and therefore deletes it,” he added.
For Godstime Omorogbe, a Software and cybersecurity expert, while speaking on “Password Fortifications,” said all digital assets are prone to unauthorized access (hacking) willy-nilly, but the only way to mitigate the hijack is to apply the technical complexity being recommended by experts.
He said overtime, weak passwords such as birth dates, initials, sequential numbers, even numbers, names, and adjectives, among others, have proven to be easy entry points for cyber-attacks, with billions of dollar-worth digital assets of people being stolen in the process.
According to him, “the best way to stay safe is to introduce “Complex Passwords that include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters; engages Password Managers, which helps to autosave the newly introduced complex password, to prevent forgetfulness; and adopt the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) security measure, which requires the introduction of an extra layer of security to user accounts.”
“I encourage Nigerians to also expand the digit of their password beyond the average six or eight units. Stretch is longer to as far as you can remember. My password is currently 28 digit and it would take hackers 70Gazzillion years to successfully hack into my account. Everyone else should adopt my style.,” Omoh implored the participants, and ostensibly Nigerians.
He recalled that his decision to go complex on his password setup was a product of experience gotten from when his telephone was stolen
Godstime also took the participants on step-by-step guide to stepping down the workshop knowledge, especially procedures to using the knowledge gained in developing or review an organizational Cyber Security and Safety Policy.
Speaking on social media behaviors that could compromise personal safety and security, Oladunjoye warned social media freaks to desist from posting sensitive information about themselves online.
“The challenge that comes with people knowing more about you is more detrimental that the sense of joy or fulfillment that comes with sociability,” she said, stressing that “there have been several cases of cyberbullying, kidnapping, and even killing of innocent people whose whereabout were simply traceable because of their social media postings.”
According to her, high level precaution is required in how people behave online, particularly how they freely divulge information that could ultimately constitute security threat to their lives and that of their loved ones.
“In many of my travels, sometimes I am also tempted to do real time posting, but knowing what I know, I always restrain from doing so. However, after I have returned from such a travel, I would then post the content, projecting it to look like it was real time. It is a technique I use to stay safe online,” the publisher of BONews, added.
Folarin Ajibade of Citizen Gavel, said was “important to have active citizens to drive public accountability. This is expected to drive the needed social change in the country. Our AI tool will come handy in helping to write important reports, petitions, letters.
The experts at the workshop also described as a top-priority national security threat, the recent breach in the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database.
They said the successful breach of the database of the Nigeria, and the cold response to the emergency from the government signals existential threats to the lives and digital assets of millions of Nigerians.
NIMC, established by NIMC Act No 23 of 2007 with the obligation to establish, own, operate, maintain, and manage the National Identity Database in Nigeria, through its National Identity Card Programme, The sensitive data being collected include people’s names, employers, workplace address, home address, telephone numbers, and Bank Verification Numbers. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s policy, BVN is a central access code to Bank accounts of all Nigerians.
There are 103.3million Nigerians on the NIMC database, representing about 48.5% of the entire population.
“The issue is of national security concern. If a national database can be hacked into and there is no greater consequence for that, it means Nigerians should be wary of how they handout their data,” Kehinde said.
“My data is interconnected, my name, educational cqualification, bank details, properties, and all. I became worried that one is not protected. As a human rights defender, I am scared that my data is out there. And somebody might go out there and use it to harm me. This is calling on the government to stop collecting data because they have not shown enough competence to protect the ones they have collected,” one of the participants, Funke Busari, said.
