Nigerians found the presidency disrespectful and retweeted their displeasure in large numbers. The message was then erased by Twitter.
Nigeria has blocked Twitter on mobile networks after President Muhammadu Buhari vowed a brutal crackdown on protests in the southeast in a tweet on the social media platform. Mobile data is used by the vast majority of internet users in Africa’s most populated country.
According to an emailed statement from Twitter, the announcement was “very troubling.” “We’re looking into it and will update you as soon as we have more information,” it said.
In May 2020, Twitter launched the moderation feature to help users manage trolls, irrelevant, offensive, or disagreeable comments on their tweets.
As governments try to define their narratives via social media, Twitter has become engaged in issues around the world. It banned former US President Donald Trump earlier this year for violating its rule against glorifying violence.
On Friday afternoon, Information Minister Lai Muhammad said that Twitter had been suspended by the government due to the “consistent use of the site for activities that are capable of compromising Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
At a news conference on Wednesday after Buhari’s post was deleted, Mohammed questioned Twitter’s goals in Nigeria, saying, “the objective of Twitter in Nigeria is indeed very dubious” Twitter said in a statement that the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria is “very concerning.”
“In today’s world, having access to a free and open Internet is a basic human right. We will endeavor to re-establish access for all Nigerians who use Twitter to communicate and interact with the rest of the world “In a statement, it stated.
BBC reporters in Lagos and Abuja reported on Saturday morning that they were unable to connect to Twitter via MTN and Airtel, the country’s two main phone networks. Others have been impacted as well.
Some wi-fi companies provided access, but this is not a widespread means to connect to the internet in Nigeria. According to the internet tracking site Trendsmap, search phrases like “VPN” became popular overnight.
A VPN connection, or Virtual Private Network, makes it appear as if the user is accessing the internet from another nation, and has been used to circumvent similar restrictions in other nations.
The government has blamed the banned secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra organization for the escalating violence in the region, which has included dramatic prison breakouts, the torching of poll offices, and the killing of police personnel.
Some wi-fi companies provided access, but this is not a widespread means to connect to the internet in Nigeria. According to the internet tracking site Trendsmap, search phrases like “VPN” became popular overnight.
Reuters says, the action follows Twitter’s removal of a post by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, which promised to punish those guilty for recent attacks on electoral offices and police stations and alluded to the country’s 1 million-person-death civil war in the 1960s.
Since late last year, Nigerian residents have been protesting the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police squad. According to a study released by Amnesty International, SARS conducted at least 82 instances of torture, ill-treatment, and extrajudicial executions between January 2017 and May 2020.
