We’ve not stopped Nigerians from using Twitter, FG tells court

Malami

The Federal Government has told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos that it has not stopped Nigerians from using Twitter and other social media platforms, adding that many Nigerians are still using it every day.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said this in a counter-affidavit they ousted in response to a motion filed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, challenging the ban on Twitter by the Federal Government.

In an affidavit 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.

“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 government had on June 4, 2021, banned Twitter barely days after the social media platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari. The government told the court that Nigerians are still free to use other platforms like Tiktok, Facebook, WhatsApp, and others.

It said Twitter had been used by elements like Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra; and had helped the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 which were aimed at destabilizing the country.