Twitter ban: Lawyer, Inibehe Effiong sues FG, Malami, Lai Mohammed

A lawyer and rights activist ibehe Effiong, has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.

Mr. Effiong sued the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as well as the federal government, in a suit filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The lawyer, in his originating motion marked FHC/L/CS/542/2021, asked the court to grant his nine prayers, including an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further suspending, deactivating or banning the operations and accessibility of Twitter or any other social media service in Nigeria.

In addition, he asked the court to rule that the federal government’s threat to prosecute citizens who “violate” Twitter’s suspension or ban in the absence of any written law is illegal.

Mr. Effiong argued in the court papers that “…suspending the operation and accessibility of Twitter in Nigeria without any written law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society enabling the said suspension is unconstitutional, unjustifiable, undemocratic, arbitrary, null and void and amounts to a violation of the right of the applicant and other Nigerians to use Twitter for expression, reception of information and impartation of ideas.”

“It is therefore contrary to Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

“The decision of the respondents to suspend Twitter has gravely infringed on my freedom of expression and that of broadcast stations and other Nigerian citizens who depend and rely daily on Twitter for information, expression and impartation of ideas. This has caused me emotional trauma and distress and limited my capacity to connect with the global community.”

.Mr Mohammed had, on June 4, announced a ban on the operations of the microblogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria.

He also disclosed that the federal government had ordered the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to “immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”

the AGF, Mr, Malami, also directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) in his office, “to swing into action and commence, in earnest, the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government De-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria.”

Owing to the ban, Nigerians have been denied access to Twitter and can only access by bypassing domain restrictions through alternative platforms

The suspension followed Twitter’s deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s controversial tweet about the civil war after some Nigerian users flagged it.

The government, in its response, accused the platform of bias against President Buhari and undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. It also added that the ban is temporary and an attempt to curb fake news and Twitter’s alleged roles in fueling activities that threaten Nigeria’s corporate existence.