Twitter: Court serves order on Nigeria

Following a suit brought by rights lawyer Samuel Ihenesekhien, on behalf of his client One Love Foundation aggrieved by Twitter suspension in Nigeria, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Nigerian government to file its defence.

The lawsuit is challenging the federal government over the indefinite suspension of Twitter.

The National Daily reported earlier how rights groups and individual flew to court in the wake of the government decision to suspend the platform for what the government considered as double standards.

Ihenesekhien on June 8, 2021, dragged the federal government before the ECOWAS court in a suit number: ECW/CCJ/APP/24/21 in Abuja, seeking a declaration for the reversal of the suspension and the actions of the Nigerian government in arbitrarily enforcing the banning of Twitter usage.

The lawyer is also seeking the sum of $ 100 million being all damages and inconvenience suffered by his organization members and Nigerians in general due to the ban of Twitter.

The court then gave the Nigerian Government 30 days, after service, to respond.

“Notice is now given that an application between Patrick Eholor and the Federal Republic of Nigeria was lodged by the applicant and registered by the court on June 9 2021,” the notice read.

“You are required to lodge a defence within thirty ( 30 ) days after service of this application on you and take note that in default of your so doing, the applicant may proceed therein, and judgement may be given in your absence.”