TELECOM OPERATORS AS PERPETRATORS OF SPAMMING IN NIGERIA: REVIEW OF MTN NIGERIA COMMUNICATION LIMITED V BARR GODFREY NYA ENEYE

Abstract

The  sending  of  unsolicited  electronic  messages,  otherwise  known  as  spamming  is  becoming  rampant  in  Nigeria despite  the  Nigerian  Communications  Act  2003  imposition  on  telecom  operators  to  ensure  that  their  network facilities are not used to facilitate crime. Customers in this part of the world have raised eyebrows over the rampant nature  of  such  perpetration  by  telecom  operators.  This  is  because  apart  from  the  fact  that  it  eliminates  quiet possession of the mobile phones owned by customers, it contributes tothe increase of phone-inbox, and the ultimate act of deleting such unwanted messages, which in turn steal the time of the customers. There is hardly any customer in  Nigeria  who  is  not  a  victim  of  spamming.  Following  the  seemingly  unending  speed  at  which  this  act  is  being perpetrated by telecom operators, there has been the question as to who really is the cause of this? This work seeks to answer this question using the case of MTN Nigeria Communication Limited v. Barr Godfrey NyaEneye to show the use of digital evidence in revealing such acts, and also to show how telecom operators contribute to spamming in Nigeria. Again, considering the available digital evidence, is the act of MTN Nigeria Communication Limited, not a cybercrime offence capable of prosecution under the Nigerian Cybercrimes Act 2015?