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Freedom on the Net 2025

Nigeria

Partly Free
59
100
A Obstacles to Access 17 25
B Limits on Content 24 35
C Violations of User Rights 18 40
Last Year's Score & Status
59 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
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header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom held steady in Nigeria during the coverage period. While an activist long jailed for a social media post was released from prison, authorities continued to crack down on protesters, online activists, and journalists who published content that negatively portrayed powerful individuals. Infrastructural challenges persisted and hampered access to the internet.

  • Over 30 network disruptions occurred in May 2025, most of which were related to fiber cuts, blackouts, vandalism, and theft of infrastructure (A1).1
  • Nigerians used the hashtag #EndBadGovernance on social media to mobilize offline protests against the high cost of living in August and September 2024. Police arrested or detained hundreds of demonstrators.2 Isaac Bristol, thought to lead a social commentary account on X, went missing for around three weeks before police disclosed that he had been arrested and charged with promoting the #EndBadGovernance hashtag, among other crimes (B8 and C3).3
  • Humanist activist Mubarak Bala, who had initially been sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2022 on charges including blasphemy for insulting the prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post, was released in August 2024 (C3).4
  • Online users continued to face arrest during the coverage period. A TikTok user was arrested in December 2024 for allegedly spreading false information that aimed to provoke the public against the police. Formally accused of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, bail was set at a disproportionate 2 billion naira ($1.3 million).5 Four journalists, two of them news site publishers, were charged in September 2024 under the Cybercrimes Act and Criminal Code after reporting on alleged fraud by the chief executive of a bank (C3).6
  • In July 2024, the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) fined Meta $32.8 million for violating data privacy laws. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) additionally imposed a $220 million fine, citing anticompetitive practices, and also ordered the company to obtain authorization before transferring users’ personal data out of the country. Upon appeal, Meta was ordered to pay these and another fine ($37.5 million from the advertising regulator, related to unapproved advertising) by June 2025.7 While they threatened to pull Facebook and Instagram out of Nigeria, Meta had not done so by October 2025, after the coverage period (C6).8

header2 Political Overview

While Nigeria has made significant improvements to the quality of its elections since the 1999 transition to civilian rule, balloting has continued to be marred by irregularities. Corruption is endemic in the petroleum industry, and security challenges—including insurgencies, kidnappings, and communal and sectarian violence in the Middle Belt region—threaten the basic rights of millions of Nigerians. Military and law enforcement agencies often engage in extrajudicial killings, torture, and other abuses. Civil liberties are undermined by religious and ethnic bias, while women and LGBT+ people face pervasive discrimination. The vibrant media landscape is impeded by criminal defamation laws as well as the frequent harassment and arrest of journalists who cover politically sensitive topics.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 3.003 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 1.001 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 6.006 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 5.005 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 2.002 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 4.004 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 2.002 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 2.002 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 3.003 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 2.002 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 3.003 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 5.005 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 3.003 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 1.001 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 2.002 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 2.002 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 3.003 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 3.003 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 2.002 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 2.002 3.003

On Nigeria

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    218,500,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    44 100 partly free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    59 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Partly Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes