By Abbas Badmus

TECHDIGEST – The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on Nigerian security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force, to put an end to the arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens for exercising their fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

CITAD Program Officer, Mr Ali Sabo, disclosed this in a press conference in Kano State.

He said section (IV) sub section (c) of the Nigerian constitution prohibits any security agency from unlawful arrest, incarceration or detention of the citizens without following due process.

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“What we are witnessing today in Nigeria is clearly contrary to what the Nigerian constitution has provided and these acts by the Nigerian security agencies if not checked and addressed will flung the country into anarchy and will negate the principles of democracy which is being practiced in Nigeria enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended.

“you will remember that in the months of November and December we did organize similar press conferences during which we drew the attention of the Nigerian authority about the negative implications of these arbitrary arrests and detentions of the citizens to the country’s image in the comity of nations and to our young democracy,” Sabo added.

He further explained criticism is part and parcel of any democracy and it is one of the cardinal pillars through which democracy is being build, but “this government in many occasions has displayed arrogance, impunity and lack of tolerance where at any slight instances has ordered the arrest of the citizens for excising their fundamental human rights.

” you may recalled that in the month of November, 2022, the Nigeria Police on the orders of the wife of the president arrested and detained a 500 level student of Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Adamu for merely excising his rights online. He was held for days without being allowed access to his family or his lawyers.

“Also on the 11th of December, 2022, a minor named Umar Garba was arrested in Nguru Local Government Area, Yobe State over an alleged defamation of character of the Yobe State Governor, Maimala Buni. The boy was held captive by the Nigeria Police for more than two weeks without a court order or any arrest warrant. Similarly, the boy was not taken to court.

“These impunity being excised by the Nigerian politicians has transformed to another level to the extent that citizens are being deprived their fundamental human rights to speak about things that concern them and their country and interrogate their representatives without being harassed by the security agencies.

“The Nigeria Police should avoid the unlawful detention of the citizens and ensure every arrest made is with an order of a competent court.

“Anybody arrested for any offence shall be taken to court within specified period of time as in the Nigeria constitution”.

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information Technology Development has stated that it is working with the Nigerian police to investigate online lending platforms, over their alleged breaches of customers’ data privacy.

This was disclosed by the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa while addressing journalists ahead of the National Privacy Week 2022.

In August, NITDA had imposed a sanction of N10 million on an online lending platform, Soko Lending Company Limited (Soko Loans), for data privacy invasion.

From the Findings, it showed that a number of these loan app operators now send embarrassing short messages service (SMS) and WhatsApp messages to the close contacts of their loan defaulters with the intention of shaming the defaulters, tagging them with terms like ‘criminal,’ ‘fraudster,’ and ‘terrible debtor’ among others.

In some cases, the full names, phone numbers and pictures of the alleged loan defaulters are shared with their contacts like religious leaders, members of churches and mosques, close friends, bosses, colleagues and family members.

In November 2021, NITDA partnered with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to address the increasing rates of data privacy abuse by money lending organisations, particularly fintech firms.

The NITDA boss stated the importance of data protection being the core responsibility of the organization.

He said, “We are working with relevant agencies to make sure we address that challenge because it is not only NITDA’s mandate that governs everything. When you talk about any financial services, it is the CBN. When you talk about general complaints, there is a commission for that. But NITDA plays a critical role because of the breach of data privacy.”

The agency said it was working with the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies to investigate several lending platforms, popularly called loan shark platforms.“We have sanctioned some of them. We are working with the Nigerian police, investigating many of them. We are working to address the challenge,” Inuwa said.

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