The ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja has restrained the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and its agents from prosecuting Nigerians for using Twitter pending the determination of a suit before it.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami had threatened to prosecute Nigerians who continued to use Twitter after Nigeria suspended its operations.
The ruling followed the suit filed against the government by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians arguing that “the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, criminalization of Nigerians and other people using Twitter have escalated repression of human rights and unlawfully restricted the rights of Nigerians and other people to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.”
The substantive suit has been adjourned to 6th July 2021 for hearing of the substantive suit.
