According to report, the suit is fixed for 22 June 2021 for the hearing of application for interim orders, SERAP said on Twitter on Monday night.
The ECOWAS
Court of Justice has served hearing notice on the Buhari government in the suit
filed by SERAP and 176 Nigerians on the unlawful suspension of Twitter.
“Having been
duly served, President Buhari should immediately rescind the suspension of
Twitter, pending the hearing of the application, for the sake of the integrity
and sanctity of the court, the rule of law, and Nigeria’s leadership role in
the ECOWAS sub-region”, SERAP added in the update on the case.
The case was
filed last week to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s ban on the
micro-blogging social media platform.
Nigeria’s leading
human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana is representing the 177 plaintiffs.
They sued
Buhari for criminalisation of Nigerians and other people using Twitter, and the
escalating repression of human rights, particularly the rights to freedom of
expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.”
In the suit
No ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21 filed 8 June before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice
in Abuja, SERAP and the concerned Nigerians are seeking: “An order of interim
injunction restraining the Federal Government from implementing its suspension
of Twitter in Nigeria.
The 177
Nigerians also seek a stay order on government from subjecting anyone including
media houses, broadcast stations using Twitter in Nigeria, to harassment,
intimidation, arrest and criminal prosecution, pending the hearing and
determination of the substantive suit.”
In the suit ,
the Plaintiffs contend that “if this application is not urgently granted, the
Federal Government will continue to arbitrarily suspend Twitter and threaten to
impose criminal and other sanctions on Nigerians, telecommunication companies,
media houses, broadcast stations and other people using Twitter in Nigeria, the
perpetual order sought in this suit might be rendered nugatory.”
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