From Bilkisu Bala
Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, in collaboration with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and Spaces for Change (S4C), has organised a two-day training for journalists on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) as part of efforts to promote press freedom in Nigeria.
The training, held from Monday to Tuesday at the Hawthorn Hotel, Abuja, drew journalists from Kano State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It was organised under the Enhancing Digital Rights in Nigeria (e-RIGHTS) project with the support of the European Union (EU).
Speaking at the opening of the programme, the Head of ASF France in Nigeria, Mrs Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, described the training as timely in view of the growing use of legal processes to intimidate and silence journalists.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said the workshop was designed to empower journalists with practical skills to identify, mitigate and defend themselves against SLAPP suits.
“Journalists are, in many ways, the first line of defence for human rights and good governance.
“You are the watchdogs, the investigators and the storytellers who ensure that the powerful are held to account and that the public is informed,” she said.
She expressed concern that journalists were increasingly being targeted by powerful individuals and institutions seeking to suppress critical reporting, not through open censorship but through the misuse of the civil justice system.
According to her, SLAPPs are not genuine attempts to seek justice, but tactics meant to intimidate journalists, drain their resources and discourage legitimate public-interest reporting.
“Such lawsuits force journalists to divert their time, money and energy away from reporting into lengthy and expensive legal battles.
“The aim is not necessarily to secure a court victory, but to silence critical voices, with the ultimate victim being the public’s right to know,” she said.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu stressed that resisting SLAPPs goes beyond legal defence and should be seen as a broader human rights struggle.
“The training has been designed to equip journalists with the tools to recognise red flags that separate genuine defamation claims from attempts to silence them.
“It will also help participants to understand best practices in investigative reporting and legal review, as well as legal strategies that can be deployed against abusive claims,” she added.
She urged journalists to change the narrative by exposing SLAPPs as a form of legal abuse and an attack on press freedom, instead of allowing them to function as instruments of censorship.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu reaffirmed ASF France’s commitment to defending press freedom in Nigeria through capacity building and the provision of pro bono legal support for journalists facing intimidation.
Also speaking, an official of CITAD, Mr Ali Sabo, who represented the Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Y.Z. Ya’u described the training as highly important and relevant.
Sabo said the initiative aligned with CITAD’s long-standing efforts to protect journalists, activists and other citizens from different forms of abuse.
“Especially journalists, your work is crucial because you serve as the voice of the voiceless.
“That is why issues of legal lawsuits like SLAPPs often target journalists, with several cases showing how journalists in Kano have been arrested simply for publishing opinions, among other reasons,” he said.
He urged participants to remain open-minded, fully engage with the training and ensure that the knowledge gained was applied and shared with colleagues in their respective organisations.
THR News reports that the training featured sessions on media law, digital rights and strategies for resisting legal intimidation against journalists.
