Nigerians on some sections of social media have reacted to the new Cybercrimes Act 2025, which was officially passed into law by the National Assembly under Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The law, christened the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, and Control) Bill, seeks to address the growing threats of cyber fraud, identity theft, financial scams, and other forms of online criminal activities that have plagued the nation in recent years.

From high-profile cases of internet fraud, commonly known as “Yahoo Yahoo,” to sophisticated phishing scams targeting government institutions and banks, the digital landscape has increasingly become vulnerable.

The passage of the bill means every provision in the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act is now fully binding and enforceable across Nigeria.

It could go a long way in affecting the role of online users, content creators, and administrators of digital platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, etc.).

Key Offenses Under the Cybercrimes Act include:

1) Unauthorized Access (Section 3)
Accessing someone else’s phone, laptop, or account without permission.
Punishable by up to 5 years in prison

2) Tampering with Data (Section 4)
Deleting, modifying, or interfering with another person’s digital data.
Punishable by up to 5 years in prison

3) Disclosure of Critical Information (Section 5)
Sharing classified or sensitive data without proper authority.
Punishable by up to 15 years in prison

4) Recording Private Conversations (Section 10)
Recording private discussions without authorization, even if you are part of the conversation.
Punishable by up to 2 years in prison

5) Publishing Fake News (Section 19)
Spreading false, misleading, or deceptive information online.
Punishable by up to 2 years in prison

6) Online Harassment & Abuse (Section 22)
Posting offensive, vulgar, or indecent content to insult or humiliate others.
Punishable by up to 2 years in prison

7) Inciting Ethnic/Religious Hatred (Section 24)
Making statements that provoke ethnic, tribal, or religious violence.
Punishable by LIFE imprisonment

See how Nigerians reacted

everythingfairlyused_abuja said: "Making fake/false promises or audio promises by politicians nko? I mean"

urch_red wrote: "Na this nunusense cyber act una go pass into law fast fast. But to pass the criminal law against corruption and capital punishment,una no go pass am fast"

raymondstylist said: "All the law favour them from now they will show Nigerian shege and we can't complain another way to put us for silence May God help us"


hongconosita commented: "What about politician that stole money I mean public funds what’s the punishment nonsense government"