The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to order the unblocking of millions of telecommunication subscribers barred from making calls on their SIMs.
This is coming two weeks after the group issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government to unblock millions of unregistered lines, following a recent directive for telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines, as the deadline for the verification expired on March 31.
In the suit, SERAP sought an order to set aside the directive by Buhari to telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines without due process of law.
SERAP joined the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and his Communications and Digital Economy counterpart, Isa Pantami as respondents in the suit.
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi, read in part, “While Nigerian authorities have a legal responsibility to protect, ensure and secure the rights to life and property, any such responsibility ought to be discharged in conformity with human rights standards.
“Fundamental rights are regarded as part of human rights and are protected to enhance human dignity and liberty.
“Unblocking the phone lines unlawfully barred from making calls would improve respect for the rule of law, and ensure people’s right to freedom of expression, and access to information, as well as their right to associate with others.
“The blocking of people from making calls constitutes impermissible restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, information, and association.
“The rights to freedom of opinion and expression and access to information are protected under section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.
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