Towards the Implementation of Data Protection Measures to Safeguard Against Surveillance Abuse in Nigeria

This policy brief considers how implementing data protection laws in Nigeria can safeguard against surveillance abuse in Nigeria. It establishes evidence of the use of mass surveillance tools in Nigeria by providing a breakdown of the surveillance expenditures of some key security institutions in the last decade. This is followed by a discussion on the legality of surveillance in Nigeria and otherwise, and then some propositions on how Nigeria’s Data Protection regime may be used to protect against surveillance abuse and safeguard the rights of Nigerian citizens.