EIE, PIN, MRA sue telcos over twitter suspension Nigeria

Enough Is Enough (EIE) Nigeria has filed a class-action suit against Telecommunications companies MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile for over alleged violation of fundamental rights on Nigerian Twitter users.

Other complainants in the suit Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and Media Rights Agenda.

“The suit calls for a declaration that the respondents’ blockage of twitter access was unlawful, unconstitutional and against the rights to freedom of expression and an injunction restraining all respondents from restraining blocking or interfering with Twitter and any other social media platform,” Khadijah El-Usman, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria’s programme officer for Anglophone-West Africa said in a statement.

“These are all pursuant to rights assured by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights.”

The Nigerian government suspended Twitter’s operations earlier in June after the social media platform deleted a tweet by Buhari for breaching the site’s rules.

But the Nigerian government insisted the suspension was a matter of national security and not related to the deletion of Buhari’s tweet.

The Human right organisations stated that it was evident that the government did not have the sole responsibility of the disregard for human rights.

“A directive not rooted in Law cannot be a basis for the abuse of the human rights of millions of Nigerians,” El-Usman said.

“It is to this effect that  EIE Nigeria as the sole applicant coordinating with other organizations including Paradigm Initiative and Media Rights Agenda, have instituted a class action suit against Telecommunications companies MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile for an enforcement of fundamental rights.”