SERAP vows to sue Buhari-led govt if it bans Twitter again

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has vowed to sue the Buhari-led administration should it ban the microblogging platform, Twitter, again.

This was on the backdrop of a statement credited to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed, over the activities on Twitter following Elon Musk’s takeover.

The minister had at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday said the Nigerian government was keeping tabs on the activities on the platform in order not to allow criminal elements plunge the country into anarchy through fake news, hate speech and others.

He said: “We have no intention of banning any social media platform again. But we will also not sit by and allow any platform whatsoever to throw our nation into crisis.

“Let me say this, we are closely monitoring the evolving developments at Twitter. It has never been our intention to ban any social media platform or stifle free speech. Not at all”

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However, SERAP in a tweet on Friday said it would take legal step against the government for any undesirable decision regarding the platform.

The tweet read: “We’ll sue the Buhari administration if it bans Twitter in Nigeria, following its takeover by Elon Musk. The ECOWAS court has ordered the administration to guarantee never to repeat the illegal Twitter ban in 2021. We’ll fight to ensure the order is obeyed.”

President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had in June last year suspended the operations of Twitter for activities deemed capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The government lifted the ban in January this year based on conditions bordering on legal registration of operations, taxation and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws.

By Ambali Abdulkabeer

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