Omoyele Sowore, Convener of #RevolutionNow movement, has criticised the Nigerian legal system for favouring the rich, powerful, and well-connected while leaving the poor vulnerable.

While speaking at a session organised by the HEDA Resource Centre titled “2024 Review of Human Rights Abuse in Nigeria” on Wednesday, Sowore likened Nigerian law to a cobweb, effective only against the weak, such as ants, but incapable of holding back the powerful.

Sowore explained instances of injustice in Nigeria, pointing out that military generals who have committed atrocities against entire villages, civilian governors who embezzle state funds, and former presidents who plundered the nation's treasury, all escape punishment.

"None of them have spent the night in jail," Sowore said, adding that even those who briefly face the justice system are quickly released.

The former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate also discussed the Nigerian government’s increasing efforts to restrict free speech.

Sowore pointed out that the government initially introduced the Cybercrime Act, which was meant to tackle internet fraud but was later misused to target free expression, especially with the controversial Section 24, which has since been repealed.

He criticised the Nigerian police for continuing to enforce laws that have been repealed, a situation that undermines the rule of law.

Sowore also condemned the government’s attempts to introduce a social media law, calling it a draconian measure against free speech.

He argued that it would disproportionately target citizens who express dissent, particularly on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

He also mocked the so-called "fake news" narrative, claiming that those promoting it are often the ones who should be in jail.

He further criticised state-controlled media for regularly broadcasting misleading information, such as false claims about the Nigerian economy.

Sowore added that if the government is unwilling to hold corrupt officials and state media accountable for their misinformation, it has no right to clamp down on ordinary citizens using social media to express their views.

He said, "Nigerian law has become the proverbial cobweb, it can only stop the ant, it can't stop an elephant. That's where we are.”

"That's why you find them jailing people, sentencing people to death for stealing chicken. The recent one we found at Kirikiri since 1999, he's been on death row since 2003 for repairing a generator that they claimed was stolen,” he said.

He continued, "Within that period of time, we've had military generals wipe out a whole village. We've had civilian governors steal money that is meant for entire states. We have former presidents who raided the Nigerian treasury, and no one of them spent the night in jail. Those who did, cannot spend the night in jail.

"They probably take them in, and then, you know, they go to a fancy apartment, according to Bobrisky. So but for these poor people, that's the life, that's the harrowing experience that they get. So the Nigerian law definitely, is beneath some people and above some people.”

Sowore said the Nigerian government has taken it upon itself to restrict free speech in a very draconian way, noting that talks about social media laws started right from when Goodluck Jonathan was the president.

He recalled that the government started with the Cybercrime Act, which was signed into law by Jonathan.

Sowore said, "And now we found out that there's also another law known as offensive publication. It's an old law. That is the law under which Dele Farotimi was abducted from Lagos and sued in Ekiti. Most people did not know about that, that he was charged under what they call ‘offensive publication’.

"So they are searching everywhere, you know, to look for laws, either old and new, and also planning to introduce new laws that will curtail freedom of speech.

“And their major problem is the Internet, it is the social media platforms that have become the level grounds for citizens to challenge the government.”

He explained that when the Buhari regime could not get away with any of those laws, the government shut down Twitter (now X) for many months.

"Because why these social media platforms, apart from being a leveller, have also become an avenue for citizens to participate in reporting and fighting government officials.

"So anybody can take to social media to fight the governor. Anybody can take on social media to fight the president,” he said.

He said, “The issue is that when a TikToker says that a pastor has not performed a miracle and that they are lying, the TikToker is not lying.

"The pastor also may not be lying. What the pastor needs to do is to go back on social media and show that the miracle they perform is real. They don't need the police to arrest the TikToker who said your miracle is not real.

"Or a TikToker who says to police, you are bad. You have been engaging in illegal searches, and you go arrest him and say because he abused the police, or the guy was arrested because he abused the military leader…”

He said going by that, “the first set of people that will be in jail are those who are working at NTA and Radio Nigeria because every day, they have to read to you at 9 pm or whenever they read their news, 4 pm, that the Nigerian economy has improved, which is fake news”.

He said, "That Nigerian economy has not improved. That president is doing well. It is fake news.

"The president is not doing well. During Buhari's time, NTA was reporting that Buhari was healthy. It was not true. Buhari was unhealthy. During Yar’Adua's time, a lot of media companies, including Al Jazeera at that time, were saying that Yar’Adua was recovering very well.”

"It's not true. So if we are not jailing all those people, we're not arresting them, you have no right to clamp down on people who are on social media, especially all these TikTokers and Facebookers, Instagramers, and wherever you might find them. That have become victims of police, high handedness," he added.