A Nigerian human rights group has asked the Supreme Court to force the government to publish a settlement with Twitter that led to the restoration of the social media company’s services last month after a six-month ban.
Nigeria suspended Twitter last June after the US company removed a post by President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.
Last month, the Nigerian government said it was lifting the ban after Twitter agreed to open a local office and work with the government to develop a code of conduct, among other agreements.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Responsibility Project (SERAP) said on Sunday that it has filed a lawsuit to compel President Buhari and his Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, to publish a copy of the agreement to ensure it does not include agreements that could compromise freedom of expression. expression.
“Publication of the agreement would allow Nigerians to review it, seek legal recourse as appropriate, and ensure that the conditions for lifting the suspension of Twitter are not used as pretexts to suppress legitimate speech,” said a copy of the court’s brief.
SERAP said the government ignored its request made in January for a copy of the agreement.
There were no immediate comments from the presidency and the information ministry.
Last June, SERAP and other groups went to court to fight the Twitter ban, arguing that it was a human rights violation.
The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States is due to decide this week whether to go ahead and rule on SERAP’s challenge to the Twitter ban. The government, however, wants the courts to dismiss the case, arguing that it has been overtaken by events.
© Thomson Reuters 2022