In an effort to improve digital literacy within the Nigerian justice sector, DigiCivic Initiative, in partnership with Accountability Lab and the National Human Rights Commission, hosted a two-day workshop focused on digital rights, data privacy, and data protection.
The event which took place from January 27 to 28, 2025, was aimed to increase digital literacy within the justice sector and to also equip judges and magistrates with digital literacy the knowledge and skills needed to handle digital rights issues effectively in their judicial roles.
During the two-day event, participants were introduced to several key concepts related to digital rights which included principles such as Net Neutrality, access to the Internet, encryption, information technologies, censorship, prior restraint, and cross-border data transfers. Issues like Internet shutdowns, network blocking, and the right to access the Internet were also explored, emphasizing the need for judicial officers to be aware of these emerging concerns in their legal work.
The program sought to enhance their ability to adjudicate digital rights cases and to reinforce their commitment to ethical data practices.
The aim was also to empower judicial officers to deliver rulings that protect access to information, privacy, and freedom of expression in the digital realm.
The facilitator, Mojirayo Ogunlana, a Digital Rights expert in the West African region, took participants on the importance of the digital environment and the role of the Judiciary in interpreting and upholding existing laws related to online freedoms, reviewing government actions that might infringe on digital rights and hold tech companies responsible for digital rights violations.
She emphasized the need for the judiciary to carefully review government actions that could potentially infringe on digital rights and to hold technology companies accountable for any violations of these rights.
Participants were encouraged to remain proactive in understanding the evolving digital space and to consider how these advancements affect rights and freedoms in the digital world.
The workshop had several prominent judicial figures, including the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, judges from the Federal High Court, judges from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, and judges from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.