Chukwu Obinna 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) files a lawsuit against the Nigerian government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, challenging regulations that allow interception of private communications.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the organisation asks the court to declare the Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations 2019 (LICR 2019) unlawful and incompatible with international human rights obligations.
SERAP argues that the rules create a sweeping framework for mass phone surveillance, enabling security agencies to monitor calls, messages, emails and internet activity.
The suit, numbered ECW/CCJ/APP/11/26, follows allegations by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that the phone conversation of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu had been intercepted.
In the suit, SERAP asks the court to compel the Nigerian government to withdraw the regulations and initiate legislation consistent with international human rights standards.
“Surveillance measures that lack strict necessity, proportionality and independent oversight can easily be weaponised against political opponents, journalists and civil society actors,” the suit states.
“In an electoral climate, even the perception that communications are monitored can chill political organising and investigative reporting,” the organisation says.
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Korede Abdullah 
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