ASF France Trains Lawyers and Journalists on Tackling SLAPP Suits

Lawyers Without Borders, also known as Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, last Tuesday concluded a two-day workshop in Lagos, aimed at equipping journalists and legal practitioners with practical tools to identify, prevent, and respond to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in Nigeria.

The event, held earlier in the week, brought together leading media houses, civil-society organisations, and legal experts amid growing concerns over the increasing use of litigation to intimidate reporters and silence public-interest reporting.

The workshop opened on Monday with ASF Country Director, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu warning that SLAPP suits were becoming a sophisticated tool for suppressing public debate. She noted that powerful individuals and institutions often deploy lawsuits, not to correct falsehoods, but to punish journalists for exposing wrongdoing. “A democracy cannot thrive, when the people who speak truth to power are constantly dragged to court as a form of punishment”, she said.

Sessions on the first day focused on how to recognise SLAPP patterns, differentiate legitimate grievances from harassment, and understand the legal loopholes that allow such cases to flourish. Participants shared personal experiences, detailing how threats of litigation have been used to force retractions, discourage investigations, or drain reporter resources.An Associate Prof of Law, University of Lagos, Dr Abiodun Odusote described SLAPP as “a tactic that thrives on fear, and the hope that journalists will back down”.

Dr Folashade Adegbite, also of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, in her submission, pointed to the meritlessness of the claim of SLAPP, as a pointer to some form of dictatorship.

Media representatives present welcomed the initiative, noting a steady rise in threats and legal intimidation in recent years. They said that the workshop, helped clarify the distinction between legitimate defamation claims and harassment. “We have seen an uptick in letters from Lawyers, threatening lawsuits over stories that underwent rigorous fact-checking. This training is timely”, one journalist noted

Day Two of the workshop focused on practical defensive strategies, including early legal responses, documentation of harassment, and monitoring patterns of abusive litigation. Facilitators walked participants through real case scenarios and practical exercises, with Dr Abiodun Odusote emphasising on composure and clarity in responding to threats. “The first reaction to a legal threat should not be panic”, he advised. “It should be understanding what exactly you are being accused of, and whether the claim has legal merit.”

The psychological toll of SLAPP suits also featured prominently, especially for young investigative journalists covering corruption, environmental abuses and corporate malpractice.

Mental-health advocates urged media houses to establish internal support mechanisms, to ensure that journalists faced with prolonged court intimidation do not suffer in silence.

A key outcome of the workshop was the development of a draft newsroom guideline, outlining preventive steps such as meticulous record-keeping, fact-checking protocols, source protection, and preserving digital evidence. Experts said such guidelines strengthen journalists’ defence when cases escalate to court, while also fostering transparency and professional standards within media organisations.

Civil society groups used the platform to call for broader national reforms, including the decriminalisation of speech-related offences, and the strengthening of the Freedom of Information framework. To which Dr Folashade Adegbite stressed that Nigeria’s Judiciary must play a decisive role. “Our courts must not become tools for silencing public participation”, she said.

Closing the workshop, ASF France reiterated its commitment to supporting the Nigerian media ecosystem through continued training, legal assistance, and advocacy. According to Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, the organisation will work with partners to monitor SLAPP trends and build a national coalition dedicated to safeguarding free expression. “This is not just a media fight; it is a fight for the health of our democracy”, she concluded.