The President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s growing insatiable thirst for undermining freedom of expression is gradually exposing the country to national and international ridicule
3 min read
The threat by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to prosecute “violators” of the government’s ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria lacks legal basis, some lawyers have argued.
The government, through the information minister, Lai Mohammed, had on Friday suspended Twitter operations in the country.
The crackdown on Twitter came two days after the social media platform deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s controversial tweet seen as a veiled threat of violence against the Igbo ethnic group.
It is seen by many Nigerians as an attack on citizens’ right to freedom of expression and a step closer the execution of the government’s years-long ambition to impose regulations on the social media space in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s growing insatiable thirst for undermining freedom of expression has exposed the country to national and international ridicule, especially with the suspension hammer.
Condemnation continued to trail the suspension of Twitter by the federal government, on Saturday, with media and civil society leaders leading the calls for the Nigerian government to rescind the decision.