Nigeria govt slams Twitter for deleting Buhari's war tweet

The battle line between Twitter and the Federal Government may have been formed after the latter questioned Twitter's role in the separatist agitation in the South East, particularly the deletion of a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday.

Recall that Buhari threatened those he termed as "misbehaving" in the region in a tweet, evoking memories of the civil war.

“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the carnage and loss of life that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War,” the president remarked in a series of tweets under his handle @mbuhari on Tuesday. Those of us who spent 30 months in the fields and lived through the conflict will speak to them in their own language.”

Twitter took down the posts, alleging a guideline breach.

However, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, defended the government, asking why Twitter would delete President Buhari's post but not the inciting ones posted by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He claimed that Twitter's role in Nigeria is questionable, adding that the social media company encouraged anti-government protesters during the #EndSARS protests.

“Twitter may have its own set of rules, but they are not universal. If Mr. President feels very bad and concerned about a situation anywhere in the world, he is allowed to communicate his feelings. Now is the time to stop comparing apples and oranges.

“A prohibited organization differs from any other organization that is not forbidden.

“Two, any organization that instructs its members to assault police stations, kill police officers, attack penitentiary centers, kill warders, and now you're saying Mr. President has no right to voice his displeasure and indignation about it?

“We are the ones who have applied double standards. I don't see any place in the world where an organization, or a person, will stay outside of Nigeria and encourage its members to target symbols of power, such as the police and the military, especially if that organization has been banned.

“By whatever name you call it, you can't justify giving instructions to kill cops or anyone else you don't agree with.

“Twitter's aim in Nigeria is quite dubious. Is it true that Twitter has removed Nnamdi Kanu's violent tweets? Is it true?"