Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, should immediately and unconditionally release blogger Abubakar Usman who is detained simply for exercising his constitutional and internationally recognised right to freedom of expression.

Usman is arrested for alleged cyberstalking of the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu.

But Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project,SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni said the action by the EFCC was unequivocally contrary to both section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.

Mumuni said the EFCC must now immediately and unconditionally release Usman and drop all charges against him.

He believed that no one should be arrested simply for criticising public institution or public figures, saying the EFCC and indeed all public institutions should proactively encourage freedom of expression to enhance their ability to fight corruption but also to maintain the sanctity of the constitution and Nigeria’s international obligations and commitments.

According to him, there are many whistle-blowers out there that can be of immense support to anticorruption agencies and contribute to the effective discharge of their statutory mandates to prevent and combat corruption.

He said SERAP would be taking legal action to challenge the constitutionality of the ludicrous Cyber Crime Act which is now being regularly used to undermine the effective enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression in Nigeria.