A group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria has asked the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to declare the indefinite suspension of Twitter in the country a violation of their human rights.
Nigeria’s suspension of Twitter came into effect in the first week of June 2021.
In a suit, the NGOs, – Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the International Press Centre (IPC), and Tap Initiative for Citizens Development (TICD) – claim that Nigeria’s suspension of Twitter violated their right to freedom of expression and interfered with the ability of journalists to do their work.
Also among the applicants are journalists – David Hundeyin, Samuel Ogundipe, Nwakwamri Zakari Apollo, and Blessing Oladunjoye.
According to the NGOs and journalists, the general situation in Nigeria with respect to human rights has created an environment where freedom of expression is stifled.
The Nigerian government announced the suspension of Twitter activities in the country after the tech company deleted a tweet from the official account of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Nigerian government accused Twitter of allowing its platform to be used ‘for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence’.
‘We have a country to rule, and we will do so to the best of our ability. Twitter’s mission in Nigeria is very suspect, they have an agenda. The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very suspicious’, the country’s information minister, Lai Muhammed, said in a statement.
However, the applicants argue that the suspension is totally against the conventions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, and the Nigerian Constitution.
They urged the ECOWAS court to issue an order mandating the government to immediately rescind the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.
They are also seeking a declaration that the government’s directive, through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), for the deactivation of Twitter accounts in Nigeria violates their human rights under international law and that the threat by the Attorney-General of the Federation to criminally prosecute anybody found to be using Twitter in Nigeria following the suspension of the platform also violates their human rights under international law.
Source: The New Dawn
Photo source: Femi Adesina
