Today, Friday (04/06), Twitter was suspended indefinitely in Nigeria, two days after removing a tweet from the country's president for inciting violence against alleged separatists. Lai Mohammed, the nation's information minister, said the government's decision to suspend Twitter's activities was because of the "persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining the existence of Nigeria."
President Muhammadu Buhari, who fought in the 1967-1970 civil war in the southeastern Biafra region of the country, had tweeted a threat on Tuesday to those involved in the ongoing incidents in Nigeria. “Those of us on the battlefields for 30 months, who have been through the war, we will address them in the language they understand.” On Wednesday, the Twitter removed the tweet for “abusive behavior” and suspended President Buhari’s account for 12 hours.
Nigeria is experiencing a surge in civil unrest, with arson attacks on government buildings and manifestations calling for police reform. Protesters are using Twitter to organize, ask for donations, and share stories of police brutality. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey himself posted a tweet encouraging donations for protesters in Nigeria.
Mohammed, the information minister, did not specify how the government would suspend Twitter in Nigeria, and his ministry announced the suspension by Twitter itself. When asked about the suspension of the social network in the country, a ministry aide told the Reuters reporter to “wait and see how things unfold.”
According to Reuters, Twitter’s app and website were still down in Nigeria’s capital Nabuja and its main commercial city Lagos on Friday. Nigeria’s major internet service providers declined to comment on the government’s directive to suspend Twitter.
Image: Salem Ochidi / Unsplash
