The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States has adjourned for ruling the consolidated case of Twitter ban brought against the Federal Republic of Nigeria to January 20, 2022.
The cases filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 196 others, and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and eight others, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21, ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21, ECW/CCJ/APP/24/21, and ECW/CCJ/APP/26/21 were consolidated in July to enable all parties prepare for trial.
At the July 9 hearing, the ECOWAS Community Court renewed its interim order barring the Government of Nigeria from imposing sanctions on any media house or harassing, intimidating, arresting or prosecuting Nigerians for using Twitter and extended the injunction to all the four suits filed against the Government over the June 4 indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
The Court restated the order and extended it to cover all cases before it arising from the Twitter ban after granting the Government’s request to consolidate the four suits contesting the indefinite suspension Twitter.
The four suits were filed against the Nigerian Government by:
- Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and three other non-governmental organizations, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the International Press Centre (IPC), and Tap Initiative for Citizens Development (TICD) as well as four journalists, Mr. David Hundeyin, Mr. Samuel Ogundipe, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, and Mr. Nwakamri Zakari Apollo;
- Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a Lagos-based NGO, and 176 Nigerians;
- Mr. Patrick Elohor, President of the NGO, One Love Foundation; and
- Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer.
