The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regarding the inclusion of unlawful provisions in the Central Bank of Nigeria Regulations.
These provisions require banks to collect information about customers’ social media handles for identification purposes.
In the lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus.
This order would compel the Central Bank of Nigeria to withdraw its directive to banks and other financial institutions, which mandates the collection of customers’ social media handle information.
SERAP argues that the compulsory requirement of social media handles or addresses of customers serves no legitimate purpose. Instead, the organization contends that such information could be misused to unjustifiably or arbitrarily infringe upon individuals’ rights to freedom of expression and privacy.