ACTIVIST FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES FOR BLOCKING NIGERIANS’ PHONE LINES
Lagos, Nigeria – [Date] – Renowned rights campaigner Olukoya Ogungbeje has taken bold legal action against telecommunications giants in Nigeria, challenging the recent and widespread barring of phone lines belonging to Nigerian citizens. In a suit filed before the esteemed Federal High Court in Lagos, Mr. Ogungbeje seeks an immediate and unequivocal order directing the telecommunications companies to unlock and un-restrict the phone lines of all affected Nigerians, restoring their vital communication channels.
The respondents named in this pivotal lawsuit include the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), led by the esteemed Dr. Aminu Mada, Chief Executive Officer of NCC; MTN Nigeria Communications Plc; Airtel Networks Nigeria Ltd; Globacom Ltd; and Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd (9 Mobile).
Mr. Ogungbeje’s legal challenge stems from the respondents’ purported threat in January to bar or deactivate the mobile lines of Nigerians whose phone lines were not linked with their National Identification Number (NIN). Despite obtaining a court order on February 22, which specifically restrained the respondents from barring or deactivating phone lines, Mr. Ogungbeje was dismayed to discover on February 28 that his mobile lines and those of many other Nigerians had been unlawfully barred by the respondents, in flagrant disregard of the court’s directive.
The activist seeks a declaration from the Federal High Court that the respondents’ actions in barring and deactivating the lines of Nigerians, despite the existence of a subsisting court order, are not just wrongful but also illegal. Mr. Ogungbeje further seeks an order setting aside the directives that led to the restriction of phone lines and demands the sum of ₦10 billion in exemplary damages against the telecommunications companies, as a strong deterrent against future violations of Nigerians’ rights.
Moreover, Mr. Ogungbeje requests an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from taking further steps or actions against affected citizens, ensuring that such egregious violations do not recur in the future. A date for the hearing of this critical suit has not yet been fixed.
