Nigeria Bans Twitter After President’s Tweet Was Deleted

Nigeria has banned the microblogging site Twitter while the government will prosecute anyone found to have breached the country’s ban.

The development comes after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for breaching the site’s rules.

President’s tweet had threatened secessionist groups in the southeast who had been responsible for attacks on government offices.

In a statement, Justice Minister Abubakar Malami said he had “directed for the immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria”, telling the public prosecutor to “swing into action”.

A spokesman for Mr. Malami, Umar Jibrilu Gwandu,  in a statement on Saturday reported by Nigerian news media, said that prosecutors had been directed to “swing into action” and “ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay.”

Meanwhile, Twitter in a statement issued on Saturday said that it was “deeply concerned” by Nigeria’s action and would work to restore access “for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”

As being reported mobile phone networks blocked access to the site which is used by millions of Nigerians, after being ordered to do so, however, some users are getting around the ban.