By Yunus Olawale
*Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab Founder and Executive Director, Rosemary Ajayi(middle).
Digital rights advocates have called for urgent action to address escalating online threats and strengthen digital safety ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, warning that the weaponisation of social media could intimidate journalists, silence women in politics and undermine citizens’ participation in democratic processes.
The call was made at a press conference and media briefing organised by the Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab, which brought together stakeholders working on digital rights, women’s safety and civic engagement to explore how investigative journalism could help expose and mitigate digital threats.
Founder and Executive Director, Rosemary Ajayi, said its work focuses on identifying, preventing and mitigating digital threats to elections and civic participation through investigations, public education and engagement with technology platforms. She explained that the organisation monitors online activities to identify suspicious patterns, behaviours and actors, using its findings to encourage social media companies and public institutions to take preventive action.
Ajayi urged journalists to recognise that digital threats extend beyond fake news and hate speech, noting that the responsible reporting of online abuse is essential to preventing further harm. She cautioned against sharing or amplifying harmful content in attempts to expose it, advising journalists and social media users to adopt approaches that highlight abuse without increasing its reach.
Representatives of partner organizations also raised concerns about technology-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly attacks targeting women journalists, public figures and aspiring female politicians.
A representative of Tech-Her, Gbemisola Adebowale highlighted the organisation’s Quorum chatbot, which receives reports of online abuse and connects survivors with available interventions, including assistance with content removal and access to legal support.
The organization works with platforms including Meta and TikTok to facilitate responses to reported abuse and has access to a network of more than 100 volunteer lawyers across Nigeria’s 36 states.
The briefing identified cyber harassment, doxxing, cyberbullying, non-consensual intimate imagery and the manipulation of images using artificial intelligence as among the threats confronting people in the digital space.
Speakers warned that online violence can spill into the physical world when perpetrators publish victims’ personal information, including home, workplace or school addresses, potentially exposing them and their families to further danger.
They also highlighted the growing vulnerability of children to cyberbullying, sextortion and online exploitation, calling for stronger digital literacy, parental awareness and practical online safety education. With political campaigns increasingly conducted on digital platforms, the advocates expressed concern that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, could be weaponised to discredit, intimidate or discourage women seeking elective offices.
Journalists were urged to adopt gender-sensitive reporting practices that do not reinforce stereotypes or frame allegations and controversies in ways that unnecessarily undermine women’s credibility and political participation.
The organisations also called for greater accountability from technology companies, stronger institutional preparedness and improved collaboration with relevant public institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission, to prevent and respond to digital threats during the electoral process.
It was maintained that protecting the digital space is essential to safeguarding freedom of expression, democratic participation and the ability of citizens—particularly women and other vulnerable groups—to engage in public life without fear of intimidation or abuse.