Tag: SERAP

Agbakoba, Others Head to Court Despite FG’s Suspension of Cybersecurity Levy

13May

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Finance, Judiciary, Justice, News, Nigeria

Agbakoba, Others Head to Court Despite FG’s Suspension of Cybersecurity Levy

The Federal Government has quietly withdrawn the controversial 0.5% cybersecurity levy, despite the resentment it generated. Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume praised President Bola Tinubu for listening to the people, ordering a review of the levy, and suspending its implementation. However, the withdrawal has not appeased all critics. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT, and 136 concerned Nigerians have sued the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the Federal High Court in Lagos over its failure to withdraw the circular directing banks to deduct the levy from customers' accounts. Similarly, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olisa Agbakoba said he would challenge the implementation of the levy in court. Last week, the CBN relied on the Cybercrime Act 2015 (as amended) t...

SERAP Chides NBC, Issues 48 Hours Ultimatum Over ChannelsTV Suspension

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to reverse what it described as the unconstitutional and illegal suspension and a fine of N5 million on Channels Television or face a lawsuit. Reports say the Acting Director-General of the Commission, Professor Armstrong Idachaba, in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television, referred to Channels 7pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, 25th April 2021, in which it indicted the TV station of interviewing a leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allegedly without "caution or reprimand." Reacting to the suspension, SERAP, in a statement issued by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: "The suspension of Channels Tele...

#EndSARS: SERAP Asks Commonwealth to Sanction Nigeria Over Attacks on Protesters

Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, to hold Nigerian authorities to account for persistent attacks on protesters demanding for an end to SARS. The group criticised many reports of human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria by security operatives. This was disclosed in a letter to Scotland by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director who asked for suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth as a measure to induce the government to respect the values of human rights, transparency, accountability and the rule of law, Vanguard reports. According to the letter, SERAP said, “A government that attacks its own citizens for peaceful protests severely undermines its credibility as a democratic regi...