A Federal High Court in Lagos has issued an order restraining telecom operators from deactivating or blocking any phone line or SIM card that is not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN).
In a ruling on February 22, 2024, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa granted the application for restraining orders filed by rights activist Olukoya Ogungbeje.
The telecom operators, including MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Networks Nigeria Limited, are now prohibited from taking any action that enforces the judgment or outrightly bars, deactivates, or restricts SIM cards or phone lines of Nigerian citizens.
The restriction applies to those scheduled for February 28, 2024, or any other date pending the hearing and determination of Ogungbeje’s appeal at the Court of Appeal.
The original court judgment was delivered on May 8, 2023, by Justice Lewis-Allagoa.
Ogungbeje’s application listed ten grounds, including the challenge against the respondents’ actions that undermined the court’s judicial powers and infringed on fundamental rights.
The appellant/applicant had previously filed a suit in April 2022 against the federal government, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Minister of Justice.
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