Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France) has trained journalists to navigate Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participations (SLAPPs), which have become a tool for intimidation and silencing journalists.
The training, held in Abuja from 8 to 9 December under the EU-funded eRIGHTS project and implemented in partnership with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), brought together journalists from the Federal Capital Territory and Kano.
SLAPPs, which typically involve civil or criminal actions filed to obstruct critical reporting, have grown more visible in Nigeria in recent years, often deployed by politically exposed persons, corporations, or state institutions to deter scrutiny.
Recall that in such instances, a Bauchi-based high court recently awarded 105 million damages against WikkiTimes.
WikkiTimes has, however, appealed to the Court of Appeal, Jos division.
Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, Country Director of ASF France, said the organisation is increasingly documenting cases in which reporters face legal harassment for pursuing public-interest journalism. “These actions are not aimed at correcting misinformation,” she said. “They are intended to exhaust journalists financially and psychologically, and ultimately deter them from following up on sensitive investigations.”
The trainers guided participants through the defining features of SLAPPs—ranging from vague or inflated claims to unusually high damages and patterns of targeting critics. Sessions also focused on practical safeguards for newsrooms, including early legal consultation, documentation of threats, and strengthened editorial protocols.
Participants were also briefed on available support structures under the eRIGHTS project for journalists confronted with legal intimidation.
At the end of the workshop, ASF France reaffirmed its commitment to providing legal assistance to journalists facing SLAPP-related pressures, stressing that protecting free expression remains central to its work in Nigeria.
