We’ve Not Prevented Nigerians From Using Twitter – FG To Court

The Federal Government has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it has not prevented Nigerians from using the previously banned social media platform, Twitter.

According to Punch, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Federal Government denied the allegations in a counter-affidavit filed in response to an originating petition filed by Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer.

On June 4, 2021, the Nigerian government declared that Twitter’s activities would be suspended indefinitely. The government shut down the site days after President Buhari’s Tweet that many deemed inflammatory in which he made a reference to the civil war, was deleted.

It is important to note that, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, issued a statement a few days after the ban, threatening to prosecute Nigerians still accessing Twitter via VPN, also 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 Mr. Ilop Lawrence on behalf of the Federal Government and the AGF, 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 Federal Government who denied knowledge of Twitter deleting Buhari’s tweet on the Biafra civil which offended many Nigerians, also told the court that Nigerians are still free to use other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Tiktok, and others.

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 were later hijacked by hoodlums.