Abdulaziz says the federal government’s directive to telecommunication companies was illegal and not backed by any law, hence MTN was not obligated to comply, and should not have blocked his line.
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
A Kaduna based lawyer, Ibrahim Saleh Abdulaziz, has dragged mobile telecommunication company, MTN, to court for blocking his line and causing him social and economic inconvenience.
Recall that the federal government ordered telecommunication service providers to block all telecommunication lines not linked with a National Identity Number (NIN) commencing April 1.
The NIN-SIM linkage is the brainchild of alleged ex-terrorist sympathiser, now minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.
Several audio and video recordings revealed Pantami hailing Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and celebrating the death of ‘infidels.’ A number of Nigerians have been understandably wary in divulging their NIN to an agency headed by Pantami.
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The federal government claimed NIN-SIM linkage would aid the tracking of criminals running amok in the country. But Abdulaziz argues that SIM card registration which is a precondition for use of telecommunication lines has already captured biometric data of subscribers which is good enough to track such criminals. Besides, NIN contains private information whose disclosure could undermine his constitutional guaranteed right to privacy.
In a fundamental rights enforcement suit with number FHC/KD/CS/46/2022 filed at a Federal High Court Kaduna Division, Abdulaziz says the federal government’s directive to telecommunication companies was illegal and not backed by any law, hence MTN was not obligated to comply, and should not have blocked his line. Abdulaziz’s argument is premised on the ground that: “there is no law and or court order that empower MTN to interfere with subscribers’ mobile telephone lines.”
He prays the court to direct MTN to unblock his line.
