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  • News - South West - Lagos
  • Updated: July 23, 2021

Twitter Ban: 'Nigerians Still Using Twitter Daily, FG Tells Court

Twitter Ban: 'Nigerians Still Using Twitter Daily, FG Tells

The Federal Government of Nigeria stated before the Federal High Court in Lagos that it has not stopped Nigerians from using the social media platform, Twitter, adding that many Nigerians are still using it every day.

This is coming almost a month after the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had told the House Committee on Information that the Federal Government’s ban on Twitter’s operations was in the country’s interest  

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Federal Government said this in a counter-affidavit they deposed to in response to an originating motion filed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.

Recall that the Federal Government had on June 4, 2021, suspended Twitter barely two days after the social media platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari. Many Nigerians have however bypassed the Twitter suspension by using Virtual Private Network (VPN).

The Attorney General had by a statement threatened to prosecute Nigerians still using the platform while the National Broadcasting Commission ordered all radio and television stations to stop using Twitter or picking content from the platform.

Human Rights lawyer, Effiong, subsequently sued the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Malami, and the Federal Government for suspending the social media platform.

In the fundamental human rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/542/2021, Effiong is seeking nine reliefs, including an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further suspending, deactivating, or banning the operation and accessibility of Twitter or any other social media service in Nigeria because the act was in violation of his rights.

Effiong asked the court to declare as illegal the threat of criminal prosecution by Malami and Lai Mohammed against Nigerians who ‘violate’ the suspension or ban of Twitter, despite the absence of any written law.

In an affidavit deposed to by Ilop Lawrence on behalf of the Federal Government and the Attorney General, it was stated that the suspension of Twitter was not an abuse of human rights because Nigerians were still using Twitter despite the suspension.

It read in part, “The applicant (Effiong) and the class he seeks to represent can still operate those Twitter accounts from anywhere in the world and even from Nigeria. Nigerians are still tweeting, even at this moment as the ban on Twitter is not aimed at intimidating Nigerians or an infringement on the rights of Nigerians to express their opinion.

“The respondents (Federal Government and AGF) have never stopped the applicant (Effiong) and the class of persons he seeks to represent from voicing their opinions to access government information and offer criticism where necessary.”

The government told the court that Nigerians are still free to use other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Tiktok, and others.

The Federal Government also denied knowledge of Twitter deleting Buhari’s tweet on the Biafra civil which offended many Nigerians.

It said Twitter had made its platform accessible to elements like Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra; and had supported the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 which was later hijacked by hoodlums.

The government further stated that Nigerians should direct their anger at Twitter and not the government because Twitter would not have been suspended if it complied with Nigeria’s laws.

According to the deposition in the affidavit, the Twitter suspension would be lifted once the platform registers with the NBC and the Corporate Affairs Commission.

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