Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has filed a lawsuit against the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over its failure to stop the regulation asking banks to provide their customers’ social media handles.
Kolawole Oluwadare, the deputy director, SERAP, had made this disclosure via a statement on Sunday, July 23.
Recall that in June 2023, the apex Bank in Nigeria had issued a Customer Due Diligence Regulation 2023, mandating banks to gather information on customers’ social media for identification.
SERAP had in the suit number titled: FHC/L/CS/1410/2023, asked the court to compel CBN to withdraw the regulation.
According to Rights Accountability group, CBN already had enough means to verify customers including through Bank Verification Number (BVN), Tax Identification Number, Driver’s licence, and Passport.
SERAP had also added that implementing the regulation would impede on the rights to freedom of expression of bank customers as well as interfere with their privacy.
“The CBN’s directive to banks and other financial institutions will invariably, limit the constitutional and international rights to freedom of expression, privacy and victims’ right to justice and effective remedies.” SERAP had said.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, no date has been scheduled for the hearing of the suit.
