Lawyer Drags Sanwo-Olu to Court for Blocking Him on X

Human rights lawyer Festus Ogun has filed a lawsuit against Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly infringing on his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which Ogun shared on his Facebook page on Friday, he claimed the governor’s action since 2021 was provoked by his “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” regarding the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre,” Ogun wrote.

According to him, being blocked has denied him access to critical updates on governance.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

In his originating summons cited by iDeemlawful, Ogun urged the court to declare the governor’s action unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

As contained in the lawsuit, he sought “a declaration that, as a democratically-elected public office holder in Nigeria, the Respondent (@jidesanwoolu)’s blocking of the Applicant (@mrfestusogun), a citizen of Nigeria and resident of Lagos State, on X (formerly ‘Twitter’) is wrongful, unconstitutional, arbitrary and constitutes a gross.”

Ogun also prayed the court to order Sanwo-Olu to unblock him, issue a public apology, and desist from targeting critics online.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondent, his agents, privies or any other person or entity acting through or 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 insisted the case went beyond personal interest.

“This suit is not just about me. I have filed this lawsuit in furtherance of public interest and with the hope that it sets a precedent in our digital rights jurisprudence,” he said.

The lawyer also referenced a 2019 U.S. ruling for judicial guidance.

“I invited the Nigerian court to be persuaded by the decision of the US District Court in Knight First Amendment Institute v Trump where President Trump was found to be in violation of the 1st Amendment when he blocked US citizens for criticising him on Twitter,” he stated.

Ogun concluded by warning that intolerance to dissent threatens democracy.

“Intolerance to criticism and accountability is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Nigerian authorities continue to crack down on dissents, critics, journalists, bloggers and vocal citizens on social media using arrests, detention, surveillance, collusion with big techs and outright blocking, as weapons. That narrative must stop,” he warned.