A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered telecom operators in the country to stop deactivating or blocking any line or SIM card whose user has not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN).
On February 22, 2024, trial judge Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa prohibited cellular operators from taking such action while finding a restraining order application filed by rights activist Olukoya Ogungbeje.
Ogungbeje filed a claim against the federal government, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and Airtel Networks Nigeria Limited.
Ogungbeje had asked the court for an injunction pending appeal, restraining all the respondents jointly or severally, whether by themselves, their agents, outlets, agencies, privies, officials, servants, men, parastatals, units, organs, or anybody or person, however, so-called, from taking any step or action capable of enforcing the judgement in any way from further outright barring, deactivating, and/or restricting any SIM cards or his phone lines, or of any Nigerian citizen.
He listed ten reasons for seeking the application, including “that sometime in April 2022, the appellant/applicant herein took out a suit against the respondents, challenging the action of the respondents in undermining the judicial powers of the court and the Nigerian legal system and thus infringing on the applicant’s fundamental rights.
“That this court, in a well-considered judgment delivered on May 8, 2023, dismissed the appellant/applicant’s suit.
“That the appellant/applicant being dissatisfied with the judgment, has exercised his constitutional right of appeal by lodging a notice of appeal against the judgment of this Honourable Court on July 26, 2023, by the lower court.
“That the appellant/applicant’s appeal is against the whole decision contained in the judgment of this court.”
