By Enyeribe Ejiogu (Lagos), Godwin Tsa, Aidoghie Paulinus and Adanna Nnamani (Abuja), Femi Folaranmi (Yenagoa) and Seye Ojo (Ibadan)
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has ordered the immediate prosecution of Nigerians who attempt to circumvent the Federal Government’s ban on Twitter operations in the country.
In furtherance of this, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) has been directed to commence in earnest the process of prosecuting of violators of the ban in Nigeria.
A statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations to the AGF, Dr. Umar Gwandu, yesterday, said Malami directed the DPPF to liaise with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, National Communication Commission (NCC) and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders.
The directive followed the indefinite suspension placed on Twitter’s operations in the country by the government. The suspension was announced in a statement by the Ministry of Information and Culture on Friday.
“The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria,” read the statement, which was posted on the ministry’s official Twitter handle on Friday evening. It accused the American social media company of allowing its platform to be used “for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
The suspension came two days after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, which the global microblogging site said was widely perceived as offensive and a contravention of Twitter’s rules strengthened in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s use of the platform to incite violence and attack on the United States Congress on January 6, 2021, following his loss of the November 3, 2020 presidential election.
In the tweet that prompted the action taken by Twitter to delete it, President Buhari, on Tuesday, threatened to deal with people in the country’s southeast, whom he blamed for the recurring attacks on public infrastructure in the region.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” Buhari wrote, referring to the brutal 30-month Nigeria-Biafra war, which killed an estimated one to three million people, mostly from the Igbo tribe between 1967-1970.
Buhari’s tweet was deleted on Wednesday after many Nigerians flagged it to Twitter, and the platform said it had violated its policy on abusive behaviour.
Responding to the ban placed on its operations in the country, Twitter said in a statement: “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
As reactions continue to trail the indefinite suspension of Twitter by the Buhari administration, Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has counseled the Federal Government of Nigeria not to hamper the operations of thousands of businesses and services with its recent suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria, stressing that the government is capable of affecting investors’ confidence in the country.
Governor Makinde, in a statement he signed yesterday, called for due consideration from the government on the implications of its action, saying that “Twitter has become the platform for young people and indeed all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish an opinion.”
The governor, who has a strong presence on Twitter, said it became imperative for him to make the statement as the country debates the ban.
His words: “It has become imperative for me to release a statement regarding the suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government. As leaders, we should go beyond emotional reactions to issues and think about how our actions will affect the people we lead, and our international ratings, socially and economically.
“Twitter has become the platform for young people and indeed all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish an opinion. They use the platform to complain, argue and give feedback to government and its agencies, which in turn use these to improve policies. This is a fundamental point that should be kept in mind as we debate the necessity of this suspension.
“We should also remember that Twitter has gone beyond a source of communication for many of our hardworking youths in Nigeria. It has become a source of livelihood for many, irrespective of their political affiliations or religious leanings. Nigerian youths and digital communications organisations earn a living from being able to use the platform to post communications on behalf of their clients.
“Others who may not have physical stores also rely on Twitter to give visibility to their products and services.
“Furthermore, I believe the Federal Government should be actively interested in how certain policies and actions will affect investor confidence. I, therefore, use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to reverse this suspension for the greater good of Nigerians.”
In the wake of the enforcement of the ban on the micro-blogging app by telecom companies as directed by the Nigerian Communications Commission on Friday, thousands of Twitter users in Nigeria are currently gnashing their teeth while the development has continued to elicit reactions within Nigeria and overseas with many describing the move as draconian and undemocratic.
Commenting on the development, firebrand lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Mike Ozhekome, condemned the ban saying that Twitter was one of the few places where Nigerians could freely express their grievances.
“Well, I am not surprised that the Federal Government has suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria. Are you? I have always said that this government has a very thin skin for criticism. It is a government that cannot take punches, but delights in always giving punches to adversaries, real or imaginary,” the lawyer said.
“The government knows that Nigerians now express their resentment and protest through Twitter, by telling the whole world how Nigeria has been turned into a corruption haven, and a sprawling field of butchery, extra-judicial executions and slaughtering. Those in government do not want the world to hear about their atrocities.
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Mr Atiku Abubakar, who tweeted few minutes after the indefinite suspension was announced on Friday expressed shock at the development, adding: “Hopefully, this won’t be my last tweet.”
Similarly the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) in a statement by its President, Kabiru A. Yusuf, expressed strong reservation over the decision of the Federal Government, saying that the suspension of Twitter’s operation by Nigerian is wrong and an overreaction.
The statement read in part: “The action would not win us friends as closure of public space limits public discourse and democratic advancement. It is a futile exercise in any case, as other platforms are more likely to suspect Nigeria’s intentions towards democratic tenets and act in an adversarial manner towards Nigeria.
“Twitter is a global platform for public communication that has expanded the frontiers of free speech and press freedom. It is a platform for business that has brought relief to Nigeria’s youthful population that has prospered by its operation. The NPAN believes Twitter, as a business, is not infallible and can be influenced through high-level engagement, to be a more responsive, liberal platform of public good and not a cynical champion of suspicious causes.
“There should be a compromise: Nigeria needs friends and not enemies at this critical juncture of her existence. She should not play into the hands of the enemies who are relentless in seeking to destroy and ostracise her.”
Samuel Ola, an influencer and market said: “The fact they really did this is worrisome. Now it is Twitter. Only God knows what next if we don’t stand strongly against this. I am an influencer on Twitter, and I make my money from promoting products and brands on the platform. This is like taking away my source of income because I already have a huge followership and this could affect that.”
Nevertheless, some people have suggested a number of ways Twitter users can bypass the restriction. A Twitter user with the handle @Tundegold offered this solution: “If your Twitter account is blocked in Nigeria, go to Google Playstore and download Windscribe VPN, set your location to another country. You will be accessing your Twitter account seamlessly. We get sense pass them.”
The United States Government has described the ban on Twitter operations in the country as an infringement of the rights of Nigerians to freedom of expression.
In a terse statement issued in Abuja by the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, the United States Government also said the ban was a way of sending a poor message to Nigerian citizens, investors and businesses.
“Nigeria’s constitution provides for freedom of expression. The government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses,” the United States said.
The United States further said banning social media and curbing every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information undermined fundamental freedoms.
“As President Joe Biden has stated, our need for individual expression, open public conversation, and accountability has never been greater. The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less communication, alongside concerted efforts toward unity, peace, and prosperity. #KeepitOn,” the United States added.
Meanwhile, former Commissioner for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Pension in Imo State, Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, has given a nod to the Federal Government for suspending the operations of Twitter in Nigeria indefinitely.
In a statement made available to Sunday Sun in Abuja, the chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and also ex-Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Public Utilities, said the ban became necessary as a result of the indiscriminate application of Twitter by those who posed threat to Nigeria’s unity and corporate existence.
The South East Coordinator for Yarima Support Organization (YSO) said: “The Federal Government should be commended and not vilified for taking a wise decision by suspending the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“It is regrettable that Twitter availed its platform to those who spewed messages of hate, which was capable of disintegrating the country. No government will watch and allow those who fan the embers of discord continue to use their platforms that aid the dissemination of hate and divisive messages.”
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity), however, slammed the Federal Government over its suspension of the operations of the microblogging platform, Twitter.
NAS in a statement by the NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje, said it was appalled by the action and condemned it in its entirety, stressing: “The latest development sadly buttresses the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government‘s trademark predilection for suppressing free speech, stifling the Nigerian civic space and trampling on the fundamental rights of Nigerians.”
Owoaje, who dismissed the reasons given for the suspension, pointed out that the Nigerian government should have taken up any issue it has with Twitter directly rather than “drag the whole country into this personal vendetta like human shields.”
In the same vein, the International Press Institute (IPI) expressed concern over the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the government.
IPI (Nigeria), in a statement jointly issued by the Chairman, Kabiru Yusuf and Secretary, Raheem Adedoyin, said: “The action is detrimental to the free press in Nigeria which uses Twitter as a major platform. IPI notes the concern of the government on the use of Twitter and other social media platforms to promote hate speech and disinformation. We urge Twitter and other social media outfits to pay greater attention to the content they promote on their platforms, which violate their own rules.
“IPI implores the government to reverse the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria and engage in meaningful dialogue with the social media outfit on issues of concern to the government.”