Mojirayo Oluwatoyin Ogunlana is a digital rights lawyer on a mission to establish a legal framework at national and regional levels that safeguards a free and open internet while upholding human rights.

She champions strategic litigation in courts to challenge constraints on freedom of expression, association and assembly. She coordinates advocacy campaigns to enforce these fundamental rights across West Africa, envisioning a thriving civic space for current and future generations in the region.

With over 12 years of legal practice, Mojirayo has committed the past eight years to defending the rights of journalists, primarily on a pro bono basis, before Nigerian courts and the West African regional ECOWAS Court. She is renowned for her pivotal role in prosecuting the landmark case of Amnesty International, Togo & 7 Others v. The Republic of Togo, addressing the internet shutdown; which earned the Judgment the 2022 Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression Prize for a Significant Legal Ruling.

Mojirayo actively engages in litigation related to gender rights, sexual and gender-based violence, and gender discrimination. She represented Amnesty International Sierra Leone in advocating for the rights of pregnant schoolgirls in Sierra Leone in the W.A.V.E vs. Sierra Leone case at the ECOWAS Court.

WADR Caught up with this lawyer who specialises in defending journalists and gender rights, and is currently the General Sencretary of the Abuja branch of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).