ECOWAS court declares Twitter ban unlawful, violation of Nigerians rights
TECHDIGEST – The ECOWAS Court has declared that the federal government’s order to ban Twitter in June 2021 was unlawful and a violation of the rights of Nigerians.
The court which gave the ruling on Thursday held that the Federal government’s action was unlawful and inconsistent with Article 9 of the African Charter and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Recall that the Nigerian government had banned Twitter on June 5, 2021, after the platform deleted President Buhari’s tweets.
The court’s pronouncement
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The suit was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians.
Delivering judgement on the matter on Thursday, the court declared that it has the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
“The Buhari administration in suspending the operations of Twitter violates the rights of SERAP and 176 concerned Nigerians to the enjoyment of freedom of expression, access to information and the media, as well as the right to a fair hearing,” the court ruled.
The court directed the present administration to ensure the unlawful ban on Twitter never repeats itself again.
The court ordered the FG to bring up policies that give effect to the rights and freedom of Nigerians.
The ECOWAS Court directed the deputy chief registrar to assess the cost of the proceeding and ordered the Federal Government to bear the costs.
