A human rights group, Concerned Nigerians for the Protection of Human Rights and Rule Law Initiative, has vowed to sue telecommunications companies in Nigeria including MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile for blocking access to the microblogging site, Twitter within the country.
The telcos had said they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter in the country following its suspension by the Nigerian government on Friday.
The suspension by the government comes days after a post by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.
Nigerians woke up on Saturday encountering difficulties in accessing their Twitter handles while some navigated the hurdle using virtual private networks.
Comrade Deji Adeyanju, convener of the group in a statement said the move by the telcos was not only unconstitutional but null and void because it has no legal backing.
The statement read, โAt @ConcernedNIG, we will be suing the telecom companies for disconnecting Twitter in the country without a valid court order immediately the courts resumes because this is a clear breach of SC 37 CFRN.
โThe constitution guarantees the privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications which Twitter is inclusive. This guaranteed rights cannot be taken away by executive fiat.
โThe ban on Twitter is not only unconstitutional but null and void because it has no legal backing. And as such, the telecommunication companies that implemented the illegal ban blindly without a valid court order must be made to pay for the damages suffered by Nigerians.
โMany business who rely on Twitter for patronage have suffered great loss and as such, this and many other reasons will serve as locus.โ
