The Federal High Court in Lagos has prohibited telecom operators in Nigeria from deactivating or barring any line or SIM card whose user has not linked it to the National Identification Number (NIN). Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa issued the restraining order on February 22, 2024, in response to an application for restraining orders filed by rights activist Olukoya Ogungbeje.
Ogungbeje had filed a suit against the federal government, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Justice, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and Airtel Networks Nigeria Limited.
He sought an injunction pending appeal to prevent the respondents from enforcing the judgment or further barring, deactivating, or restricting any SIM cards or phone lines of Nigerian citizens, scheduled for February 28, 2024, or any other date, until his appeal is heard and determined by the Court of Appeal, against the judgment delivered on May 8, 2023, by Justice Lewis-Allagoa.
He listed 10 grounds for seeking of the application, which include “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.”
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