Nigeria’s senate has bowed down to public criticism by deleting some sections of a bill that seek to slap journalists with prison terms of up to seven years.

Lawmakers argued they had removed a section of the proposed electronic fraud bill as these could be “abused” and “misinterpreted.”

The bill is entitled, “A bill for an Act to provide for the prohibition of and punishment for electronic fraud and crime in all electronic transactions in Nigeria.”

The problematic section 13 (3) of the draft bill stipulated that, “Any person, who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the security of the country or that is capable of inciting the general public against the government through electronic message, shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment, or a fine of N5 Million or both.”

Senator Adegbenga Kaka, the bill’s sponsor, told journalists that the “offending” clause is planned to be deleted from the bill.

“I have the permission to announce to the world that the section shall be deleted,” Kaka said

Kaka expressed gratitude for all the contributions made both locally and internationally, adding that they further enriched the bill.

He added that more suggestions and debates concerning the bill are set to be welcomed.

The lawmaker added that the bill was not going to gag media but rather target against the misuse of the internet.