NBA, SANs, Atiku Say Hate Speech Bill Draconian

The Senate has introduced a bill which seeks to establish a Federal Government agency to check hate speech in the country .

It also prescribed death by hanging as the maximum punishment for certain categories of offenders .

The bill , sponsored by a former Senate spokesperson , who is now the Deputy Senate Whip, Sabi Abdullahi , passed first reading on the floor of the red chamber on Tuesday . It is titled , “ National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech ( Estb . , etc ) Bill 2019 .

But a few hours after the bill passed the first reading, groups and individuals including former Vice -President Atiku Abubakar , eminent lawyers and civil rights organisations , warned that it was death sentence for democracy in the country .

 They described the bill as draconian.
Abdullahi had sponsored a similar bill in the 8 th Senate , but it could not survive the second reading due to overwhelming opposition and criticisms from the civil society groups and the media.

A copy of the bill obtained by one of our correspondents shows that in the proposed law , offenders are either liable to 10 years jail term , payment of N 10 m fine or death by hanging .

An offender, according to the bill is , “ a person who uses , publishes , presents , produces, plays , provides, distributes and / or directs the performance of any material , written and or visual .

Such material must be capable of causing threat , abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening , abusive or insulting words or behaviour. ”

It stated that such individuals had committed an offence if they intended to stir up ethnic hatred, or having regard to all the circumstances, ethnic hatred is likely to be stirred up against any person or persons from such an ethnic group in Nigeria .

“ Any person who commits an offence under this section shall be liable to life imprisonment and where the act causes any loss of life , the person shall be punished with death by hanging ,” it added .

Ethnic hatred attracts 10 - year jail term
Offenders liable to a 10 - year jail term or that risk N 10 m fine are those who stir ethnic hatred by their speeches .