- Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu for Blocking Him on X Over #EndSARS Criticism
- He filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos
- Ogun argued that the administration violated his fundamental rights to freedom from discrimination
A Lagos-based lawyer, Festus Ogun, has filed a suit against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for blocking him on X since 2021 after he criticised the governor’s handling of the October 2020 #EndSARS incident at Lekki Tollgate.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the legal practitioner filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos, citing sections 37, 39, 42, 45, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
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He argued that the governor’s action violated his right to freedom of expression, which he said had “haunted, traumatised, and emotionally disturbed” him.
In a post on X, Ogun explained, “I have filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court against the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for blocking me on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account. In 2021, I noticed that the governor blocked me on his official handle @jidesanwoolu due to my constructive criticisms of his policies and my demand for accountability over the October 2020 #EndSARS massacre that occurred under his watch.”
He added that being blocked on X had prevented him from accessing public updates and receiving information about Lagos State policies and governance since the governor uses the account primarily for official communication.
According to him, this amounted to a violation of his right to access information, which falls under freedom of expression.
Ogun further argued that blocking him on the basis of his political opinions and criticisms of the administration violated his fundamental rights to freedom from discrimination.
Referring to the ruling of a U.S. District Court in the Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump case, which found that former President Donald Trump breached the First Amendment by blocking critics on Twitter, Ogun maintained that intolerance of criticism and accountability is unconstitutional and undemocratic.
He described his suit as a matter of public interest, intended to set a precedent in digital rights jurisprudence.
Ogun also condemned what he called the federal government’s repression and crackdown on dissent, critics, journalists, bloggers, and vocal citizens through arrests, detention, surveillance, collaboration with big tech firms, and outright blocking on social media.
According to him, this trend must stop, and he urged the judiciary to intervene.
