Twitter Reacts After Federal Government Suspended Its Operations In Nigeria

Twitter has expressed “deep concern” over the indefinite suspension of its operations by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

KanyiDaily recalls that the federal government had suspended Twitter operations indefinitely in Nigeria on Friday, June 4, 2021.

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said the government was forced to act because of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.

Reacting in a statement on Friday, Twitter’s Senior Policy Communications Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Sarah Hart said the company is investigating the development.

“The announcement made by the Nigerian Government that they have suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria is deeply concerning. We’re investigating and will provide updates when we know more,” the statement reads.

The suspension comes just two days after Twitter deleted President Buhari’s tweet which threatened to deal with “pro-Biafran secessionist” in “the language they will understand”.

Twitter said the offensive tweet violated the social media company’s abusive behavior policy, leading to a 12-hour suspension of President Buhari’s account.

Reacting to the development on Thursday, Adamu Garba said Twitter has no right to take down President Buhari’s tweet, adding that the micro-blogging site should be banned in Nigeria.

Adamu Garba had in 2020 instituted a $1 billion lawsuit against Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, over his alleged role in the #EndSARS protests which led to violence and loss of lives in some parts of the country.