Feeling perturbed by the incessant operation of fake news in Osun state, the State Government announced on Sunday that it has established a Cyber Crime Action Committee to enforce relevant provisions of the law concerning cyber crimes, cyberbullying, and deliberate online dissemination of false information.
Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the Honorable Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, revealed this in a statement in Osogbo, stating that the step is necessary to sanitize the governance space and ensure that politics and governance occur in an atmosphere of responsibility, decency, and honesty.
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The statement highlighted that the increasing prevalence of fake news negatively impacts both the government and the opposition, emphasizing the importance of bringing all operators within the scope of the law in exercising their rights as guaranteed by the constitution.
Alimi mentioned that the committee, situated at the Ministry of Justice, comprises journalists and legal practitioners. He informed the public that the committee’s mandate is to combat fake news, regardless of the perpetrators.
The Commissioner emphasized that the Committee will enforce relevant sections of the Cybercrime Act of 2015 as operational clauses to ensure all stakeholders abide by the law in exercising and enjoying their fundamental human rights.
Section 24 (1) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 stipulates: “A person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter via computer systems or networks that is grossly offensive, pornographic, or of an indecent, obscene, or menacing character, or causes any such message or matter to be sent, or he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will, or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent, commits an offense under this Act and is liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term, not exceeding three years, or both.”
He revealed that the committee would hold its inaugural action meeting on Monday, reaffirming Governor Ademola Adeleke’s commitment to delivering good governance, due process, rule of law, and reverence for God.
