Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to drop all criminal cases against journalists and citizens charged for criticising public officials.
Falana’s call comes in response to President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, where the President warned against suppressing dissent, noting that silencing critics could undermine democracy.
He urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to align with Tinubu’s position by discontinuing all such prosecutions.
Falana added that public officers aggrieved by negative reports or comments should seek redress in civil courts rather than criminalising criticism, to uphold democratic principles and protect press freedom.
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