Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has announced that Twitter will be banned throughout the country. Mohammed cited the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as the reason for the ban. Furthermore, members of the Nigerian government will look to prosecute those who attempt to work around the nationwide ban.
The decision to ban Twitter in Nigeria came shortly after the app deleted a tweet from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. In the deleted tweet, Buhari is accused of threatening secessionists.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Biafra war,” Buhari tweeted.
“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.” Buhari was a major general during the Biafra war, which left more than a million people dead.”
Twitter said that it was “deeply concerned” by the decision to ban the app in Nigeria. Furthermore, the company is working to “restore access” to those across the African nation.
“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,” Twitter stated.
