TWITTER BAN: WE HAVE NOT STOPPED. NIGERIANS FROM USING TWITTER - ABUBAKAR MALAMI

"We've not stopped. Nigerians from using Twitter, many Nigerians are still using twitter," Federal Government tells the court.

The FG has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it has not stopped Nigerians from using social media platform, Twitter, adding that many Nigerians are still using it every day.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the FG said, this in a counter affidavit they deposed to in response to an originating motion filed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, which was obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday.

The government had on June 4, 2021, suspended Twitter barely two days after the social media platform deleted a tweet by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

However, many Nigerians have bypassed the Twitter suspension by using Virtual Private Network.

Malami in a statement threatened to prosecute Nigerians still using the platform while the National Broadcasting Commission ordered all radio and television stations to stop using Twitter or picking content from the platform.

Rights lawyer, Effiong, subsequently sued the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Malami, and the Federal Government for suspending the social media platform.

In the fundamental human rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/542/2021, Effiong is seeking nine reliefs, including an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further suspending, deactivating or banning the operation and accessibility of Twitter or any other social

media service in Nigeria because the act was in violation of his rights.

The government told the court that Nigerians are still free to use other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Tik tok and others.

FG also denied knowledge of Twitter deleting Buhari's tweet on the Biafra civil which offended many Nigerians.

It said Twitter had made its platform accessible to elements like Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and had supported the End SARS protests of October 2020 which was later hijacked by hoodlums.