The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari to court over the alleged unconstitutional the plan by the present administration to track, intercept and monitor WhatsApp messages, phone calls, and text messages of Nigerians and other people.’ urging the court to declare the moves illegal.
According to SERAP, such unconstitutional move severely threatens and violates the right to the preservation of privacy.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the suit is coming on the heels of the proposal in the Supplementary Appropriation Act signed in July 2021 to spend ₦4.87 billion to monitor private calls and messages.
The amount was part of the ₦895.8billion supplementary budget approved by the National Assembly.
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In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1240/2021 filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja last Friday, SERAP is seeking: ‘an order of perpetual injunction restraining President Buhari and any other authority, persons or group of persons from unlawfully monitoring the WhatsApp messages, phone calls and text messages of Nigerians and other people.’
The suit was filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kehinde Oyewumi and Kolawole Oluwadare.
The suit read in part, ‘The Buhari administration has legal obligations to protect Nigerians and other people against arbitrary interference and violations of their human rights. Monitoring of WhatsApp messages, phone calls and text messages would grant free rein to government agencies to conduct mass surveillance of communications of people.’
Joined in the suit as Respondents are Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, and Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.
However, the date for the hearing of the suit has not been fixed yet.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK