SERAP slams lawsuit against Buhari over blockage of 72m phone lines

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over his refusal to unblock “the phone lines of over 72 million telecommunication subscribers barred from making calls on their SIMs.”

The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP on Friday by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi and issued to the press via a statement on Sunday.

It came in the aftermath of the recent directive by the Federal Government to telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines, as the deadline for the verification expired on March 31.

Consequently, over 72 million subscribers have now been barred from making calls.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/711/2022 filed last week at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking: “an order setting aside the directive by President Buhari to telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines without due process of law, and for being inconsistent with the requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality.”

SERAP is also seeking “an order of perpetual injunction restraining President Buhari and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami from unlawfully directing telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines, without due process and in violation of Nigerians’ human rights.”

Read also: SERAP gives reasons Buhari must withdraw presidential pardons for Dariye, Nyame

SERAP stated that ordering and compelling the Federal Government to unblock the illegally banned phone lines would be completely consistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international commitments to respect, preserve, and promote socioeconomic rights.

The organization also stated that if government agencies are allowed to operate at will and according to their whims and caprices while performing their statutory duties, the end result will be anarchy and authoritarianism, resulting in the loss of the much-cherished and constitutionally guaranteed freedom and liberty.

According to SERAP, “It is in the interest of justice to grant this application. Access to telecommunications services is a condition sine qua non for the effective exercise of human rights. Therefore, the decision to block people from making calls is discriminatory, and a travesty.”

Joined in the suit as Respondents are Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Mr Isa Pantami.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now