As Nigeria grapples with escalating insecurity, kidnapping, and terrorism, a disturbing new report reveals that sophisticated surveillance technologies, procured with millions of dollars to combat these violent crimes, are being routinely diverted to monitor, track, and intimidate journalists, activists, and dissenting citizens.
The startling revelations are detailed in a new white paper titled “Victims Speak: Techniques, Patterns, and Impacts of Targeted Surveillance in Nigeria,”* officially launched on Thursday by Spaces for Change (S4C) at the CityGate Homes in Abuja.
The report, a culmination of qualitative data gathered through the SpyStop Laboratory (SSL) in 2025, exposes a shrinking civic space where digital authoritarianism is taking root ahead of the crucial 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the unveiling, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director of Spaces for Change, delivered a hard-hitting critique of the government’s misplacement of security priorities.
She noted that while technology is inherently good and necessary for modern governance, its current deployment in Nigeria targets the wrong demographics.
“We are not against surveillance. We are saying, if indeed the country has spent millions of dollars acquiring this technology, we should start seeing a reduction in crime. We should start seeing a reduction in terrorism, violence, and banditry,” Ibezim-Ohaeri stated.
She expressed deep concern over the glaring irony of state actors aggressively tracking citizens protesting bad governance while armed groups operate freely in severely affected regions.
“Our concern is, if you have purchased these technologies to catch the bad guys, focus on the bad guys. Leave the citizens demanding accountability,” she urged.
“Will you prioritize profiling somebody pointing out governance failures over somebody going into a community and massacring hundreds of people? We are seeing a lot of this misplacement of priorities.”
The Anatomy of Illegal Surveillance
The Victims Speak report provides comprehensive documentation of the sophisticated tools currently active within Nigeria’s borders. Driven by security challenges and regulatory gaps, the government has procured highly invasive security tech from countries including Israel, China, Italy, the United States, and the Netherlands.
According to the findings, these dual-use technologies include, IMSI vatchers (Stingrays) which are used to intercept mobile phone traffic and track location data, spyware and remote device extraction tools which are software capable of taking total control of a target’s digital device and social media monitoring and OSINT platforms which are used for sweeping surveillance of online civic activities.
The consequences for the victims who comprises journalists, lawyers, and human rights defender are severe. Firsthand testimonies collected during some interactive sessions highlighted harrowing experiences of SIM-based tracking, digital compromise, device seizures, and physical stalking.
Many civic actors reported severe psychological distress, leading to self-censorship and total disengagement from public discourse.
Complicity and legal loopholes
The proliferation of these tools is facilitated by systemic failures. The report explicitly names telecommunications companies as critical enablers, noting that telcos frequently hand over subscriber data, call records, and location information to law enforcement, often without judicial authorization.
Furthermore, while the 1999 Constitution guarantees privacy rights under Section 37, and the Nigerian Data Protection Act (NDPA) of 2023 outlines strong data-handling obligations, broad legal loopholes exist.
The Lawful Interception of Communication Regulation (LICR) of 2019, for instance, provides broad allowances for agencies like the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the State Security Services (DSS) to intercept communications under the guise of “national security” or “public well-being.”
Safeguarding the 2027 Elections
With the 2027 elections on the horizon, Spaces for Change warned that an environment saturated with illegal surveillance actively undermines democratic participation. The chilling effect of being monitored means citizens are increasingly terrified to openly support their preferred political candidates or voice their opinions.
“If we get into the elections with fear and apprehension, it will affect the electoral outcome because people are not able to freely identify their choices,” Ibezim-Ohaeri warned, emphasizing that “silence will be a burden” if these abuses are not actively dismantled.
To counter this growing threat, the report outlines urgent recommendations for at-risk individuals, including a transition to end-to-end encrypted platforms, strict digital footprint management, and adaptive mobility during high-risk periods.
It also calls on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to establish secure, confidential reporting channels and standardizing digital security protocols to protect the nation’s frontline defenders.
