By Romanus Okoye
The Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned, till October 4, the hearing of the suit filed by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), seeking, among other things, a declaration that the ban or suspension of Twitter, a microblogging site, as unlawful.
NBA is also seeking a declaration that the ban affects the business, employment and economic activities of lawyers and Nigerians generally, and an order of the Federal High Court mandating all mobile networks and internet service providers to unblock the use of the microblogging and social media site.
The respondents in the matter signed by NBA’s seven-member legal team are the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Minister of Information and the Nigerian Communications Commission as first to fourth defendants.
The NBA had on June 18, 2021, filed an action at the Federal High Court (Lagos Judicial Division), challenging the constitutionality and overall legality of the said policies and directives of the Federal Government, following the ban on the use of Twitter, the threat to prosecute Twitter users and the overall constriction of civic space by policies and directives of the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies.
In the suit, the NBA is seeking, among other things, a declaration that the ban or suspension of the microblogging site is unlawful, a declaration that any prosecution of users of the site will be unconstitutional.