Nigerian Govt Lists EndSARS Among Reasons For Twitter Ban
The Nigerian Federal Government has given reasons for the Twitter ban, one of which is the End SARS protests.
In October 2020, a statewide protest against the dreaded police unit SARS shook the country.
The House of Representatives Joint Investigative Committee on Twitter Suspension heard from Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Tuesday.
“Twitter raised funds for the EndSARS protesters before it was hijacked”, Mohammed alleged.
He claimed that Section 45 of the Constitution makes it clear that the Freedom of Expression rights of Section 39 are not absolute.
In view of the provisions of Sections 5(1) and (2) of the Terrorism Act of 2011, Mohammed remarked that the right to freedom of expression on the Twitter platform is further qualified by Section 45 of the Constitution.
Twitter, he claimed, did not follow Nigeria’s Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020. (the Act).
According to the law, a foreign company that fails to take the appropriate measures to gain incorporation may not conduct business in Nigeria or exercise any of the functions that a registered company has.
According to Mohammed, Twitter’s operations in the Nigerian social space are not legal when it is used to broadcast information that endangers the lives and security of the majority of Nigerian citizens.
The Minister reiterated that the government has the authority to take any necessary steps, including the suspension of Twitter or any other social media platform, to defend Nigeria’s critical infrastructure from cyber-threats or attacks.
