Why Nigeria banned Twitter indefinitely
Why Nigeria banned Twitter indefinitely
Nigeria banned Twitter indefinitely. The US and the European Union have expressed concern over Nigeria's decision to indefinitely ban Twitter. This reaction comes after Twitter deleted a tweet by the President of Nigeria, in which Twitter said that the tweet of the President was in violation of the company's rules. International human rights groups have also condemned the move, following previous attempts by the government of Africa's most populous country to regulate social media.
Nigerian telecom operators on Friday indefinitely blocked people's access to Twitter in accordance with a government directive. The diplomatic missions of the European Union, the US, Britain, Canada and Ireland issued a joint statement late Saturday condemning the ban.
In this statement, he said, "Banning the system of expression is not the solution. Especially at a time when Nigeria needs to promote inclusive dialogue and expression of ideas as well as critical in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic." Information needs to be shared."
He added: "The idea of greater security for Nigerians is rooted in more communication, not less."
According to NOI, a public opinion and research organization based in Nigeria, more than 39 million Nigerians have a Twitter account.
The platform has played an important role in public discourse in the country with the hashtag #BringBackourGirls following the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014 and the hashtag #EndSARS during anti-police vandalism protests last year.
The government issued a suspension order on Wednesday after Twitter deleted the tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari's account. But the government's suspension came after a comment was removed. In this tweet, he referred to the country's civil war four decades ago, warning about the recent unrest.
The 78-year-old president, who is also a former general, referred to "abusers" in recent violence in the southeast, where officials blame the IPOB, a banned separatist group, for attacks on police and election offices.
The 'misinformation'
president posted on Twitter: "Those of us who have been in the field for 30 months and have gone through war will treat them in the language they understand."
The Presidency denied late Saturday that Twitter's suspension was a reaction to the removal of that post.
"There are a number of problems with social media platforms in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had violent real-world consequences," Presidency spokesperson Garba Shehu said in a statement.
Shehu said the removal of Buhari's tweet was "disappointing" and added that "major tech companies must abide by their responsibilities."
Twitter said it was "very concerned about the Twitter block in Nigeria."
The company said in a statement, " Free and #OpenInternet access is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access to all those in Nigeria who depend on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. #KeepitOn"
'VPN app' was the second most searched trend on Google in Nigeria on Saturday, a virtual private network (VPN) that allows users to bypass any restrictions. So Twitter users searched for a VPN app to circumvent this restriction. Nigeria, however, warned that it would prosecute violators.
"The Federation's Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami has directed the immediate prosecution of the perpetrators of the federal government's ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria," spokesman Omar Jibrilu Gawandu said.
Amnesty International also condemned the ban and called on Nigeria to immediately withdraw the illegal suspension.