The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed an action filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) challenging the legality of the Presidential directive for barring SIM cards not linked with the National Identification Number (NIN)

In the action filed against the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Nigerian Communications.

Commission Act 2023, SERAP argued that the directive barring over 72 million Nigerian subscribers was an infringement of the subscribers’ fundamental rights, enshrined under the Constitution. However, in his argument, counsel for The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, represented by the WOC team, contended that none of the rights relied upon by SERAP was absolute and that the presidential directive was in furtherance of sections 14(2)(b) and 45 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As amended), as well as the relevant provisions of the National Communications Act. The WOC team argued on behalf of the President that the directive was driven by the challenges of insecurity and kidnapping, which are disclosed through alarming statistics.