SECTOR 1 1.3 There are no laws or parts of laws restricting freedom of expression such as excessive official secrets, libel acts, legal requirements that restrict the entry into the journalistic profession or laws that unreasonably interfere with the functions of media. Nigeria’s democratic evolution means that several post-colonial and post military rule laws have become redundant, at least in principle. The 1999 constitution more or less disbands what it terms laws that are not “reasonable” in a democratic society. Yet, these laws have lingered on and are frequently “resurrected” to conveniently serve political ends. Many, if not all, of them infringe on the public exercise of freedoms, especially freedom of expression. A common example that has been used recently is the Criminal Code’s provision on sedition1. Although an Appeals Court invalidated sedition in 1985 as unconstitutional, public officials still use it when it suits their purpose. It has become common for officials to drag journalists or other citizens to court, charging them with sedition, even if they know the court will eventually throw out the case. The goal, it appears, is to use the process to intimidate journalists and other opinion holders into silence. Nigeria’s struggle with the armed group Boko Haram, and more recently the apparent re-emergence of the Biafra independence struggle, appears to have made the use of sedition fashionable anew. The resurging use of the “old” sedition law adds to other pieces of legislation apparently designed to limit freedom of expression, such as the country’s Official Secrets Act, which is considered excessive. The secrecy law is used now and then to evade the country’s recently enacted Freedom of Information Act. In the conflicting atmosphere of freedom of information and obligation to secrecy, public officials are more inclined to not sharing information with the public, and shy away from expressing their personal or professional views on a subject. Criminal libel and defamation appear to remain the toughest roadblocks to freedom of expression in Nigeria. On top of these, the recently enacted Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act is already emerging as a serious threat. This law was passed only this year (2015), yet, already three people have been taken to court over things they wrote or did on the internet. This is a “worrying development”, given the surging popularity of digital media and the number of Nigerians switching to digital content. While some laws appear to have direct implications on the extent to which freedom of expression is enjoyed, some are indirect, subtle and unpredictable. Court rulings have gone back and forth on the issue of whether Nigerian law protects journalistic sources, with the Court of Appeal finally deciding that 1 Section 50-52 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2015 15