<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xml:lang="en"
         xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">
  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">BJCR</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title xml:lang="en">British Journal of Contemporary Research</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title xml:lang="en">BJCR</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn>2979-8582</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Bexford Publishing Ltd</publisher-name>
        <publisher-loc><uri>https://bexfordpublishing.co.uk</uri></publisher-loc>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">BEX_JUN_26_125</article-id>
      
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group xml:lang="en" subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Original Research Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title xml:lang="en">Freedom of the Press and Nigerian Official Secrets Act 2004</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group content-type="author">
      <contrib corresp="yes">
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Dr. Henry Okolie Onyebuolise </given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>henryosem@gmail.com</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Law/Law/Delta State University , Nigeria</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      <contrib>
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Dr. Kenneth Owhigose Odhe</given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>kennethodhe@gmail.com</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Law/Law/Southern Delta University Ozoro</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      <contrib>
        <name-alternatives>
          <name name-style="western" specific-use="primary">
            <given-names>Prof. Andrew Ejovwo Abuza</given-names>
          </name>
        </name-alternatives>
        <email>andrewabuza@yahoo.com</email>
        <bio xml:lang="en"><p>Law/Law/Delta State University Abraka</p></bio>
      </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="epub">
        <day>10</day>
        <month>07</month>
        <year>2026</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>1</volume>
      <issue>2</issue>
      
      
      <pub-history>
        <event event-type="received">
          <event-desc>Received: <date date-type="received">
            <day>26</day>
            <month>06</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
        
        <event event-type="accepted">
          <event-desc>Accepted: <date date-type="accepted">
            <day>01</day>
            <month>07</month>
            <year>2026</year>
          </date></event-desc>
        </event>
      </pub-history>
      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Henry Okolie Onyebuolise </copyright-statement>
        <copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
        <license xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">
          <license-p>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract><p>The 1999 Nigerian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the Press to all citizens of Nigeria, including journalists. Thus paper evaluates some salient provisions of the Nigerian Official Secrets Act 2004 on the freedom of the Press. The research methodology utilised is mainly doctrinal analysis of applicable primary and secondary sources. The paper finds that the definition of classified matter under section 9(1) of the Nigerian Official Secrets Act 2004 is too wide and susceptible to abuse, as it allows the government to declare anything it likes as a classified matter and therefore not to be disclosed or revealed to the public without authorisation. The paper suggests that the Nigerian Official Secrets Act 2004 should be amended in its section 9(1) to define classified matter as only the information and public record which border on the defence and national security of Nigeria.</p></abstract>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <body/>
</article>