The Nigerian government has announced that it is suspending Twitter indefinitely, two days after the platform deleted a post by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the Athenian Agency telegram, Bukhari threatened in his Twitter post that those seeking the secession of a province in southeastern Nigeria would be punished.
“The federal government has suspended indefinitely the activities of the short message service and the Twitter social networking platform in Nigeria,” the Ministry of Information and Culture said in a statement.
Twitter still seems to work for users in the country
Late this afternoon, however, Twitter was still up and running, according to AFP and Reuters reporters in the country. The announcement was also posted on the ministry λογαριασ’s Twitter account.
On Wednesday, Twitter deleted a message from President Bukhari threatening those responsible for the recent violence in south-eastern Nigeria. The network estimates that the head of state violated the rules of use.
Information Minister Lai Mohamed replied that, if Twitter has its own rules, the president has the right to comment on the situation in Nigeria. He also accused the platform of “tolerating” messages from the leader of an separatist organization operating in south-eastern Nigeria that he said “encourages violence”.
“Twitter mission in Nigeria suspicious”
The minister also referred to an appeal made last year by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, urging those who can donate bitcoin to support protests against police violence in Nigeria. “Twitter’s sending to Nigeria, following these two examples, is very suspicious. “What are his intentions?” He asked, addressing reporters.
In November 2019, the Nigerian government implemented stricter measures to control the media and combat misinformation on social networking platforms. These measures were seen by some as a restriction on freedom of expression.
