The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) yesterday issued the Federal Government 48 hours to withdraw the 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy. This followed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s directive to commercial banks and other financial institutions to start charging the levy.
In a statement, SERAP threatened legal action if “the grossly unlawful and unconstitutional” CBN’s directive is not reversed. The group said: “The Tinubu administration must immediately withdraw the grossly unlawful CBN directive to implement section 44 of the Cybercrime Act 2024, which imposes a 0.5 per cent ‘cybersecurity levy’ on Nigerians.
“We’ll see in court if the directive is not withdrawn within 48 hours.” It asked President Bola Tinubu “to immediately direct the CBN to withdraw the cybersecurity levy as it patently violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations and commitments.”
SERAP also told Tinubu to stop the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, “from implementing Section 44 and other repressive provisions of the Cybercrimes Act 2024 as it flagrantly violates the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party”.
It further asked the President “to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi to present a bill to amend Section 44 and other repressive provisions of the Cybercrimes Act 2024 to the National Assembly so that those provisions can be brought in line with the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations”.
It added that its lawyer “is already preparing the necessary court papers should the administration fail or neglect to act as recommended. “The administration must urgently take concrete and effective measures to ensure the repeal of section 44 and other repressive provisions of the Cybercrimes Act 2024.
“If the unlawful CBN directive is not withdrawn and appropriate steps are not taken to amend the repressive provisions of the Cybercrimes Act within 48 hours, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel the Tinubu administration to comply with our request in the public interest.”
