Nigeria is contemplating severe penalties for subversive activities in accordance with its proposed legislation

Nigerian legislators are contemplating the implementation of a bill that would sanction subversive behavior with imprisonment for a maximum of ten years. Critics interpret this as an effort to suppress dissent in the wake of a series of anti-government demonstrations.

The Counter Subversion Bill, which is presently in the early stages of debate, proposes a 10-year prison term for refusing to recite the national anthem, a five-year jail term for erecting a “illegal road block,” and a three-year sentence for “disobeying constituted authority.”

It follows the nationwide demonstrations against economic reforms that have exacerbated a cost of living crisis. Following a lethal police response that resulted in at least 23 fatalities, they abruptly concluded.

The proposed law is perceived by critics as an effort by the government to suppress dissent and restrict public demonstrations.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, the lower branch of parliament, is the sponsor of the measure. It will now proceed to the floor for a second reading, which represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s legislative process.