ATTORNEY-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, on Saturday, called to prosecute Nigerians violating the ban on Twitter by the Federal Government.
This was revealed in a press statement by the media aide to the AGF Umar Jibrilu Gwandu. The directive comes after Nigerians bypassed the ban on Twitter using Virtual Private Network (VPN).
“Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has ordered the prosecution of offenders of the federal government ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria,” he said.
Twitter’s suspension by the Federal Government came two days after a post by President Muhammadu Buhari was taken down by Twitter, where he threatened to crack down on secessionists.
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Gwandu said Malami directed the office of the public prosecution of the federation (DPPF) to prosecute violators of the ban.
“The AGF directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) at his office to swing into action and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government De-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“The DPPF is to liaise with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, National Communication Communication (NCC) and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay,” the statement read.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) had, on April 6, embarked on an indefinite strike to press home its demand for the implementation of full financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The 63 day-long strike action has crippled the judicial arm of government across the country as court users, and non-litigants bear the brunt.
On Friday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter.
Rights group Amnesty International has condemned Twitter’s suspension in a tweet and called on Nigerian authorities to “immediately reverse the unlawful suspension and other plans to gag the media, repress the civic space, and undermine Nigerians’ human rights”.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.