Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, claimed that separatist campaigners use Twitter to issue directives to their followers in Nigeria to attack security forces as well as burn police stations and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mohammed, who spoke at the Meeting of Information Managers of APC Government in Lagos on Thursday, also said that the Federal Government suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria because of the threat posed by the gross abuse of the platform to the nation’s peace and unity.
Mohammed said, “Social media is a double-edged sword, providing opportunities and challenges perhaps in equal measure.
“For the information and communication manager, the so-called new media provides the ultimate test. As you all know, we recently had to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria because of the threat posed by the gross abuse of the platform to the nation’s peace and unity.
“Twitter is the platform of choice for separatist campaigners, especially those of them residing outside the country, who use it to issue directives to their followers in Nigeria to attack our security forces as well as to burn police stations and INEC offices.”
Federal Government had suspended the operation of Twitter in Nigeria, accusing the platform of allowing contents capable of threatening the corporate existence of the country.
Despite the ban, some Nigerians have continued to access the medium via the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed a team to engage with Twitter over the suspension of its operations in the country.
