Civic Pulse Nigeria
Quarterly civic space report
Q1 2026
January to March 2026
Complete quarter. Generated 29 Sept 2026.
- Published records
- 5
- Change on Q4 2025
- -1
- States named
- 4
- Reporting organisations
- 3
5 civic space records were published for January to March 2026, against 6 in October to December 2025. Citizen Engagement and Policy Influence was the most frequently recorded category. 1 of these came from reports written at national level that name no state.
Records by category
- Citizen Engagement2
- Arrests & Detention2
- Government Discourse1
- Resource Access0
- Legal & Regulatory0
- Harassment0
Where records were located
- Anambra1
- Federal Capital Territory1
- Lagos1
- Niger1
Plus 1 national-level record naming no state.
Who reported these incidents
- Rights monitors
- 1
- News outlets
- 4
- Official and court records
- 0
- AllAfrica3
- Human Rights Watch1
- Premium Times1
The records
- 17 Feb 2026·Niger·CPN-0030
Nigeria: police detain journalist over story about Niger governor aide
Ahmed Isah Sakpe of Prestige FM was detained by police over alleged cyberbullying and defamation concerning an aide to the Niger State government.
- 5 Feb 2026·Federal Capital Territory·CPN-0031
Nigeria: court rejects Sowore documents in cyberstalking trial, warns against live streaming hearing
The court rejected documents tendered by Omoyele Sowore in the cyberstalking trial and warned against live streaming the hearing. Sowore pleaded not guilty on 2 December 2025 to charges under the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024 over posts made on 25 August 2025.
- 28 Jan 2026·Lagos·CPN-0032
Police open fire on peaceful Lagos protesters, journalists
On 28 January 2026 police fired tear gas and shots at residents of demolished communities, including Makoko and Oworonshoki, who marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja, to present petitions against forced evictions; several people were injured and journalists covering the protest were targeted. Protest leader Hassan Taiwo Soweto was arrested and arraigned at a Yaba magistrate court.
- Premium Times: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/852706-police-open-fire-on-peaceful-lagos-protesters-journalists.html
- BusinessDay: https://businessday.ng/news/article/police-fire-teargas-on-protesters-journalists-at-lagos-assembly-over-demolitions/
- Sahara Reporters: https://saharareporters.com/2026/01/29/rights-groups-condemn-police-brutality-arrest-protesters-lagos-anti-demolition
- 16 Jan 2026·Anambra·CPN-0033
Nigeria: police caution Awka residents against street protests
The Anambra State Police Command cautioned residents of Awka against organising or joining street protests, advising individuals and groups to desist from marches within the state capital on public-order grounds.
- 1 Jan 2026·National·CPN-0034
World Report 2026: Nigeria
HRW's annual country chapter covering civic freedoms, treatment of journalists and civil society, and the legal environment for expression and assembly in Nigeria.
- Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/nigeria
How this report was compiled
Every record in this report is compiled by hand from reports published by named rights monitors, news outlets and official bodies, and links to the source it draws on. Each record is dated to the incident where its source gives that date, and otherwise to the date the source was published. The figures show what has been recorded, not the full extent of what has happened: incidents that were never reported do not appear, and a state with few records is not necessarily a state where little took place.