JUST IN: ECOWAS Court Says Nigerian Govt Cannot Sanction Twitter Users- SERAP
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has revealed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice in Abuja, has stopped the Nigerian Government from prosecuting or arresting citizens who are still using Twitter despite the ban.
THE WHISTLER earlier reported that following Twitter’s deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s “civil war” tweet on June 5, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed directed that the platform be suspended on grounds that it threatened the country’s cooperate existence.
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The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation also directed the prosecution of Nigerians who violate the ban.
But SERAP disclosed in a press statement on Tuesday that the ECOWAS court “restrained the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and its agents from unlawfully imposing sanctions or doing anything whatsoever to harass, intimidate, arrest or prosecute Twitter and/or any other social media service provider(s), media houses, radio and television broadcast stations, the Plaintiffs and other Nigerians who are Twitter users, pending the hearing and determination of this suit”.
SERAP had sued FG while arguing that “the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, criminalization of Nigerians and other people using Twitter have escalated repression of human rights and unlawfully restricted the rights of Nigerians and other people to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country”.
The court heard arguments by SERAP’s counsel, Femi Falana SAN, and lawyer to the government, Maimuna Shiru.
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“The court has listened very well to the objection by Nigeria. The court has this to say. Any interference with Twitter is viewed as inference with human rights, and that will violate human rights. Therefore, this court has jurisdiction to hear the case. The court also hereby orders that the application be heard expeditiously. The Nigerian government must take immediate steps to implement the order”, the court said, as quoted by SERAP.
The court adjourned the case to 6th July 2021 for hearing of the substantive suit.
