Court Fixes Oct. 4 To Hear NBA’s Suit Against FG’s Twitter ban

Court Fixes Oct. 4 To hear NBA’s suit Against FG’s Twitter ban

A Lagos Federal High Court, has fixed October 4, 2021, for hearing of the suit filed by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) challenging the legality of the Federal Government’s suspension of the operations of microblogging and social media website, Twitter.

The NBA’s Incorporated Trustees filed the suit numbered FHC/L/CS/613/202 on June 18, following the government’s June 4 threat to prosecute Nigerians who defy the directive by continuing to use Twitter.

President Muhammadu Buhari; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are first to fourth defendants, respectively.

The NBA, through its 7 member legal team led by Dr Charles Mekwunye, is seeking 11 reliefs, which include, among others, a declaration that the ban or suspension of the microblogging site is unlawful and a declaration that any prosecution of users of the site will be unconstitutional.

It is also seeking a declaration that the ban affects the business, employment and economic activities of lawyers and Nigerians generally and an order mandating all mobile network and internet service providers to unblock the use of the microblogging and social media site.

The Chairman of the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA/SPIDEL), Dr. Monday Ubani, has a similar suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

So does the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) at the Federal High Court in Abuja; and 176 other Nigerians and SERAP at the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

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