Human rights lawyer Festus Ogun has filed a lawsuit against Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Federal High Court in Lagos, alleging a violation of his fundamental rights by blocking him on the governor’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
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In the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25 and shared by Ogun on Friday via his Facebook page, he claimed that the governor blocked him in 2021 due to his “constructive criticisms” and “demands for accountability” over the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.
“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu due to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demands for accountability regarding the October 2020 #EndSARS massacre,” Ogun stated.
He said being blocked deprived him of access to vital information.
“Blocking me on X has prevented me from receiving public updates and information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to information without interference,” he added.
In his originating summons, cited , Ogun asked the court to declare the governor’s action unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that, as a democratically elected public official, Sanwo-Olu’s blocking of Ogun, a Lagos resident, on X is wrongful, unconstitutional, and arbitrary.
Ogun further prayed the court to compel the governor to unblock him, issue a public apology, and cease targeting critics online.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondent, his agents, or any other person acting on his behalf, from further blocking the Applicant on X or any other social media platform,” the suit read.
Describing himself as “haunted, traumatised and emotionally disturbed,” Ogun stressed that the matter extends beyond personal grievance. “This suit is filed in the public interest and aims to set a precedent in digital rights jurisprudence,” he said.
He invited the court to consider the 2019 U.S. ruling in Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump, where President Trump was found in violation of the First Amendment for blocking U.S. citizens on Twitter for criticism.
“Intolerance to opposing views undermines democracy. Nigerian authorities continue to suppress dissent, critics, journalists, bloggers, and vocal citizens on social media using arrests, surveillance, collusion with big tech, and outright blocking. That narrative must stop,” Ogun warned.
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