Nigerians could be arrested for posting tweets following Twitter ban

After a ban on Twitter, the Nigerian government has now ordered federal prosecutors to arrest and prosecute users of the social media app. According to CNN, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami issued the directive on June 5 in a statement signed on his behalf by his spokesman, Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu. 

It read that Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to “swing into action” and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of “violators” of the Federal Government De-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria. Further, the Attorney General directed the country’s communications regulator, NCC, and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy to collaborate with prosecutors “to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay”. 

‘Indefinite suspension’ of Twitter

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Ministry of Information and Culture announced the "indefinite suspension" of Twitter's operations in Nigeria on Friday, after the company deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that was widely perceived as offensive. Information Minister Lai Mohammed condemned the 'persistent use' of Twitter for activities allegedly capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence. He also questioned Twitter's motives in Nigeria, saying, "the mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very very suspect". 

Mohammed called Twitter’s mission in Nigeria “suspicious” and added that the US technology company has an agenda. Further, the Nigerian minister said that the social media firm had overlooked the tweets of leading secessionists in the nation. He went on to say that when people were burning police stations and killing policemen in Nigeria during 'End SARS', a decentralised social movement, then for Twitter it was about the right to protest. “But when a similar thing happened in the US, it became insurrection,” Mohammed said. 

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