The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has warned that corps members are not above Nigeria’s cyberbullying and social media laws during their service year.
Speaking during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, Nafiu stressed that corps members remain citizens of Nigeria and must obey all constitutional provisions and existing laws governing online conduct, cyber activities and public behaviour.
He explained that any allegation of cyberbullying involving corps members would be investigated and handled by appropriate law enforcement agencies in line with the law, irrespective of their NYSC status.
According to him, the NYSC is not responsible for providing legal representation for corps members involved in criminal or civil cases arising from their activities on social media or other online platforms.
“The fact that they are corps members does not exempt them from the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“If someone accuses you of cyberbullying, the police can arrest you even with your NYSC identity card, and you will be personally responsible for the matter.
“I am not funded to provide legal representation for corps members in court. What we do instead is engage the Legal Aid Council to monitor such cases,” Nafiu said.
He added that the Legal Aid Council could provide free legal services for corps members when necessary, especially during investigations or court proceedings.
Nafiu noted that the NYSC had stepped up awareness campaigns to educate corps members on the responsible use of social media and digital communication platforms due to increasing concerns over online misconduct and cyberbullying.
“The rules have changed. You cannot simply go online attacking people because someone can accuse you of cyberbullying,” he said.
He, however, stated that the scheme was not against content creation, noting that the NYSC recognised the digital culture of younger Nigerians.
“By the end of this year, we will mainly be mobilising Generation Z graduates, and we understand the environment they operate in.
“We know this generation loves content creation, and we are not against it, but there must be proper context and responsible engagement,” he added.