Justice M.A. Onyetenu of the a Federal High Court in Lagos, has ordered the deadline for the registration of the National Identity Numbers, be extended for two months.
The ruling came in a suit filed by a lawyer, Monday Ubani. The respondents in the suit were the federal government, Attorney General of the Federation, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.
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In the suit, Ubani had asked the court to cancel the initial two-week ultimatum given to telecom companies to block unregistered SIMs.
He therefore prayed the court to grant an order extending the deadline.
He prayed the court for:
“ A declaration that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cases in Nigeria presently, the deadline given by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to the Applicant and over 200 million Nigerians to register their SIM Cards with NIN, will lead to a rush, thereby resulting to clustering of the Applicant and other Nigerian citizens in a NIN registration centre, subjecting him to the possibility of easily contracting the covid-19 virus, and such will amount to a violation of his fundamental right to life as protected by section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“An order halting the said ultimatum given by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to telecommunication operators to block all SIM Cards that are not registered with NIN.”
