Federal Government Sued for Forcing Nigerians to Queue for NIN Registration Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

A lawyer has challenged the order by the government to citizens to register their NIN amid coronavirus pandemic.

 
A Nigerian lawyer has dragged the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to court, accusing it of risking many Nigerian lives. 

The attorney in a suit fixed for hearing on February 15 tested the continuous interaction of connecting the National Identification Number, NIN, with Mobile lines, as per NAN. 

Review that a Human rights legal counselor, Malcolm Omirhobo, had on Friday, January 19, had sued the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, for purportedly constraining Nigerians to interface their telephone numbers with the National Identity Number, NIN, without conforming to the COVID-19 conventions. 

Others joined as litigants in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC; the DG NIMC, and the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA. 

Different litigants are: MTN Nigeria Communications Plc; GLOBACOM Ltd; Airtel Networks Ltd (Airtel Nigeria) and the Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd, EMTS 9 Mobile. 

Equity Mohammed Liman fixed the date for notification to be served on all gatherings in the suit after the offended party had educated the court regarding his interaction. 

The candidate, who is suing for himself and in the interest of the Nigerian public, brought his suit under the arrangements of the central rights authorization rules revered in the 1999 constitution. 

At the point when the case was approached Monday, Mr Omirhobo declared appearance as showing up face to face, and educated the court regarding his ex parte movement just as a sworn statement of desperation appended. 

He told the court that amidst the predominant Covid 19 pandemic it was too dangerous to even consider continuing with the interaction, adding that further advances ought to be quit, forthcoming assurance of the suit. 

Equity Mohammed, hence, inquired as to whether he had any composed record indicating the cutoff time for the enlistment and the offended party told the court that there were online distributions such that the new cutoff time expansion was Feb. 9 . 

The court therefore, requested that all gatherings be presented with the cycles and he fixed Feb. 15 to hear both the movement for interlocutory order just as the considerable suit, while he struck out the ex parte movement. 

The offended party needs the court to proclaim that Nigerians are qualified for the principal right to life, pride of human individual, right to private and everyday life, opportunity of articulation, opportunity of tranquil get together and affiliation and the privilege to moveable property. 

The attorney is requesting the court to pronounce that the respondents' compulsion from the candidate and Nigerians without themselves initially consenting to the COVID-19 rules is an infringement of the key right to life of Nigerians . 

As per him, the danger by the respondents to separate the phone lines of Nigerians, who neglect to interface their NIN to their SIM cards inside a timetable is an infringement of the central right to life of the candidate and Nigerians. 

He contended that the mandate drove a large number of Nigerians blockading the different NIMC workplaces cross country in break of COVID-19 conventions, while attempting to consent to the said orders and in the process presented themselves to the probability of contracting Corona infection. 

Mr Omirhobo, hence, supplicated the court to pronounce such choices illicit, unlawful and illegal. 

He said that the order to make the introduction of NIN a condition-point of reference for the recovery of lost and additionally harmed phone lines is an infringement of the basic right of Nigerians and along these lines illicit, unlawful and illegal. 

He requested the court to make a request for the requirement from the major right to life, pride of human individual, right to private and everyday life, opportunity of articulation, opportunity of quiet get together and affiliation and the privilege to moveable property of Nigerians. 

He is additionally asking the court to constrain the respondents to continue the offer of new SIM cards, supplant lost or harmed sim cards to Nigerians just as issue a public conciliatory sentiment to the candidate and people in general.