The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for directing banks to obtain information on customers’ social media handles for identification purposes.

In a statement by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said it filed a lawsuit seeking an order of mandamus to compel CBN to withdraw its directive and delete the provisions of Section 6 of its Customer Due Diligence Regulations, 2023.

SERAP believes that the directive and provisions are inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.