The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately withdraw its implied threat to ban X (formerly Twitter) in Nigeria over a post by journalist Omoyele Sowore.
In a statement on Sunday, SERAP said any move to restrict access to X would amount to collective punishment and a crackdown on social media, with a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
The group noted that the ECOWAS Court of Justice had previously held that access to Twitter is a fundamental human right.
“Freedom of expression is indeed a fundamental right which is protected under section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party,” SERAP said.
It stressed that Nigerian authorities have an obligation to protect independent media, both online and offline, to guarantee the free flow of information and ideas between citizens and their leaders.
“Any restriction of the right to freedom of expression online and offline must adhere to the constitutional and international requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality, and legitimacy,” the group added.
SERAP said the threat resembled the suspension of Twitter by the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari, which was declared unlawful by the ECOWAS Court.
The group warned that pressuring X to censor online content would amount to a violation of privacy, freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information.
“We’ll see the administration in court if the threat is not immediately withdrawn,” SERAP said.