Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari assembled a reconciliation team to negotiate with Twitter. This is more than two weeks after Twitter’s operation in West Africa was indefinitely stopped.
According to a statement, Tuesday, the president requested that Twitter engage with him over suspension.
Some of Buhari’s most powerful ministers are represented in the team, including Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, who was accused by Twitter of having “double standards” when he announced the suspension.
This announcement coincided also with a West African regional bloc ECOWAS ruling that barred the Nigerian government from detaining and prosecuting Nigerians as well as corporate bodies who attempted to circumvent the Twitter ban.
After many Nigerians continued using virtual private networking (VPN) to send tweets, the Nigerian authorities ordered federal prosecutors that they begin legal action against those who violated the ban.
The planned crackdown by the government on Twitter users was quickly challenged in a local courtroom by SERAP, a human rights organization.
SERAP, a group of journalists, and non-governmental organizations approached the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice Abuja. They described Twitter’s suspension and threats of prosecution as “arbitrary” as well as “unjustified”. “
Justice Keikura Bangura of ECOWAS Court ruled Tuesday that “the government of Nigeria and its agents must refrain from imposing sanctions on any media house, harassing, intimidating and arresting the Applicants, concern Nigerians for their use of Twitter and other Social Media Platforms.” This was in the interim of the suit filed by the applicants,
The statement also stated that Justice Bangura declined to direct Nigerian authorities not to lift the Twitter ban.
Femi Falana (SERAP’s lawyer) described the ruling as ” a timely Relief for Millions of Nigerians who were threatened with prosecution…”
Twitter was suspended in Nigeria two days after President Buhari’s offensive tweet was deleted by the microblogging company.
Twitter was suspended in Nigeria two days after President Buhari’s offensive tweet was deleted by the microblogging company.
Nigerian officials have accused the social media company of allowing their platform to be used for “activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
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