Rights Commission Expresses Concern Over Misuse Of Personal Data

The executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN), has expressed concern over the widespread misuse of personal data for malicious purposes, cyber harassment and defamation in Nigeria.

Ojukwu made the disclosure yesterday during the national conference on digital rights 2026 organised by Avocats Sans Frontières France in partnership with Spaces for Change and Centre for Information Technology and Development in Abuja.

He said the widespread misuse of personal data for malicious purposes, cyber harassment and defamation were everyday occurrences that violate ethical standards and rights to privacy and respect for individuals, among others.

Ojukwu said that if AI (artificial intelligence) is not governed by robust ethical frameworks and human dignity at its core, it can breed inequality.

According to him, the protection of people’s rights was compounded by the lack of robust digital literacy and understanding of rights and responsibilities in the online space.

Ojukwu said the commission actively monitors digital rights violations through its monthly dashboard, engages tech firms for ethical AI guidelines (collaboration with Meta), NITDA and other CSOs on workshops addressing algorithmic bias, privacy invasions and misinformation.

The country director of ASF France, Barr Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, in her welcome address, said the digital space had evolved and called for respect for digital rights.

Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said that, due to its concern about people’s digital safety, Avocats Sans Frontières France launched the project in 2023.

According to her, ASF France has trained 5,073 students on digital rights, 113 judges and lawyers on human rights standards, and has achieved about 80 per cent in preventing the arbitrary detention of journalists and activists.

She said digital rights should enhance digital technology and not impair it, but maintained that no right should be silenced.

Further, she said, “As we open this conference, my message is clear: Digital rights are human rights. There is no distinction. When a website is blocked, a voice is silenced. When data is breached, privacy is murdered.

“This conference is not just a reporting exercise. It is a strategic convening. We are here to consolidate our gains, refine our Digital Rights Reform Policy Guide, and strengthen the multi-stakeholder “Situation Room” that will guard our digital future long after this project concludes”, Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said.

The executive director of Spaces for Change, Barr Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri in her remarks expressed concerns that while governments in other countries are seeking to maximise the use of digital space, Nigeria was busy trying to clamp down on people for expressing their views and called on authorities to seek how to fortify digital spaces for the safety of the citizens.

Dr Yinusa Zakari, the executive director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, said it was in the government’s interest to provide a safe and free environment for the economy to grow.

The keynote speaker and former director-general of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle (SAN), said it was impossible to have a single regulator for all internet users across different sectors, adding that regulators should open the digital space.

The highlight of the event was the launch and presentation of the National Digital Rights Report, which analyses the state of digital rights in Nigeria.