Buhari sued over blocked lines regarding the NIN linking
President Muhammadu Buhari has been sued for allegedly barring people who have not yet linked their National Identification Number (NIN) to their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) (SIM).
Telecommunications firms have been ordered by the federal government to prohibit outgoing calls on all unlinked lines. Hundreds of millions of people are affected.
The government order, according to SERAP, was inconsistent with the standards of legality, according to suit number FHC/L/CS/711/2022 filed in the Federal High Court in Lagos.
SERAP is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Communication, Isa Pantami, from blocking lines indefinitely.
It requires enough infrastructure and logistics to enable Nigerians, including the disabled, the elderly, and those living in rural locations, to collect their data and complete registration in order to get a National Identification Number (NIN).
The organization claims that drawing lines was against the Nigerian Constitution (as modified) and the country’s international commitments to uphold, preserve, and promote socio-economic rights.
SERAP argues the decision to prevent people from making calls is “discriminatory and a travesty,” citing the fact that access to telecommunications services is a sine qua non for the exercise of human rights.
Pantami and Abubakar Malami, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, are named as Respondents in the lawsuit.
Lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi filed the claim on behalf of SERAP.
“While Nigerian authorities have a responsibility to protect citizens’ rights to life and property, that responsibility should be carried out in accordance with international human rights norms.
“Blocking people’s ability to make calls entails unacceptable limits on their right to freedom of expression, information, and association,” it states.
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