Rickey Tarfa sues MTN for N5bn over Right to Privacy

Monday, February 22, 2016 6:06 am

*Joined in the suit are EFCC, Femi Falana

Rickey Tarfa: now sues MTN claiming N5billion

A Senior Nigerian lawyer, Rickey Tarfa, introduced a new dimension to his legal tango with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by suing Nigeria’s leading telecom company, MTN Nigeria at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Tarfa is claimimg N5 billion in damages from the MTN for the violation of his Right to Privacy.

Also joined in the suit are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), its boss, Ibrahim Magu, one Mrs Rashidatou Abdou and a prominent legal practitioner, Femi Falana.

In an application brought pursuant to section 37 of the Nigerian constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Cap 10, Mr Tarfa asked the court to make an order declaring that the unauthorised act of using his iPhone 6 in calling one Ado in Kaduna on February 9 while the said phone was with Magu and the agency without any reasonable cause or any court order.

He claimed the act was unlawful, wrongful, illegal and a gross violation of his rights.

Specifically, the applicant asked the court to declare that the unauthorised act of accessing his bank details, clients information, private and confidential information contained in his iPhone 6 and Samsung 6 phone by EFCC and Magu without any reasonable cause or any court order was unlawful, wrongful, illegal and a gross violation of his fundamental rights.

Mr Rickey Tarfa also asked the court to declare that the unauthorised act of accessing the phone call records/call log of his phone by the respondents and forwarding same to Sahara Reporters and other online news agencies without any reasonable cause, or any court order was also a violation of his rights under the constitution.

Attached to the application was a 134 paragraph affidavit wherein the applicant stated that trouble began when the relationship between his client, Ghanhoue Nazaire and the 3rd respondent, Mrs Rashidatou Abdou, blessed with a child went soar in 2011.

The suit has yet to be assigned to a judge.

*Originally published by Channel TV