The Federal Government has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it has not stopped Nigerians from using social media platform, Twitter, adding that many Nigerians are still using it every day.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Federal Government said this in a counter-affidavit they deposed to in response to an originating motion filed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, which was obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday.

The government had on June 4, 2021, suspended Twitter barely two days after the social media platform deleted a tweet by the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

However, many Nigerians have bypassed the Twitter suspension by using Virtual Private Network.

Malami in a statement threatened to prosecute Nigerians still using the platform while the National Broadcasting Commission ordered all radio and television stations to stop using Twitter or picking content from the platform.

Rights lawyer, Effiong, subsequently sued the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Malami, and the Federal Government for suspending the social media platform.

In the fundamental human rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/542/2021, Effiong is seeking nine reliefs, including an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further suspending, deactivating or banning the operation and accessibility of Twitter or any other social media service in Nigeria because the act was in violation of his rights.
Effiong asked the court to declare as illegal the threat of criminal prosecution by Malami and Lai Mohammed against Nigerians who ‘violate’ the suspension or ban of Twitter, despite the absence of any written law.

In an affidavit deposed to by Mr Ilop Lawrence on behalf of the Federal Government and the AGF, it was stated that the suspension of Twitter was not an abuse of human rights because Nigerians were still using Twitter despite the suspension.

It read in part, “The applicant (Effiong) and the class he seeks to represent can still operate those Twitter accounts from anywhere in the world and even from Nigeria. Nigerians are still tweeting, even at this moment as the ban on Twitter is not aimed at intimidating Nigerians or an infringement on the rights of Nigerians to express their opinion.

The respondents (Federal Government and AGF) have never stopped the applicant (Effiong) and the class of persons he seeks to represent from voicing their opinions to access government information and offer criticism where necessary.”

The government told the court that Nigerians are still free to use other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Tiktok and others.

The Federal Government also denied knowledge of Twitter deleting Buhari’s tweet on the Biafra civil which offended many Nigerians.

It said Twitter had made its platform accessible to elements like Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra; and had supported the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 which was later hijacked by hoodlums.

The government further stated that Nigerians should direct their anger at Twitter and not the government because Twitter would not have been suspended if it complied with Nigeria’s laws.

It told the court that the Twitter suspension would be lifted once the platform registers with the NBC and the Corporate Affairs Commission.

It said Twitter had made its platform accessible to elements like Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra; and had supported the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 which was later hijacked by hoodlums

The government further stated that Nigerians should direct their anger at Twitter and not the government because Twitter would not have been suspended if it complied with Nigeria’s laws

post=103994295:
Twitter made a statement in which they said they don't know President Buhari and which country he runs.

When you're blinded by hate and self imposed narrow mindedness, you will applaud someone who is clearly insulting you.
Most Nigerians who are sympathetic with Twitter today don't know how much of an insult this comment is to even them.
They see Buhari as the target here but there are two elements in this insult.
Twitter says they don't know President Buhari.
But they didn't stop there.
They also added that they don't know the country he is leading. In other words they don't know Nigeria.

Twitter is brazenly saying they don't know Africas most populous nation and the country with the highest concentration of black people in the world. Twitter is brazenly saying they don't know a country where over 11 billion dollars of their revenue comes from with over 40 million subscribers.


Some years ago Pastor Chris Oyakhilome chose to use twitter to communicate some prayer information to Christ Embassy members worldwide.
Within few weeks Pastor Chris broke the records of having the most amount of followers within such a short period.

In their arrogance, Twitter called Pastor Chris' twitter account to question and described the followership as bogus.

Simply put, Twitter believed that nobody from a place like Nigeria had enough clout to garner such followership within such a short time - a feat that no Hollywood star was able to achieve -.

Pastor Chris wasn't prepared for their drama, he pulled out of twitter and challenged his church tech people to design a platform that the church can use. That's what gave birth to Yookos.

Today Yookos is a formidable competitor with Twitter so much so that ex President Barack Obama acknowledged the giant strides made by the platform within such a short time after it was launched.

Eventually twitter confirmed Pastor Chris' account and "apologized" but it was too late.
Pastor Chris had moved his huge followership into Yookos.

Several years later Twitter is saying that they don't know the country that the same Pastor Chris comes from.
That's arrogance taken too far.

Any Nigerian who tolerates this insult is just a self hating sychophant.

Someone says you and your country don't matter and you're jubilating.
Is that not a serious sickness?

********************************************

On a lighter note,
*We heard someone telling his landlord that his rent money for the year is trapped in his Twitter account*

*The landlord too is now abusing Buhari

Dem [/b] : AKA [b]DA truth in da building!

Truth is not bitter, just that some people are bitter to the truth.

We Rise!

post=103994329]Look at what this mental animal called Cownu caused innocent & hardworking Nigerians with Twitter issue.[/quote]
[quote author=ILoveDemMANNA:
Devil will punish kanu for all the evil he caused in this nation, especially the deaths of innocent girls

“I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria”, God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country”

....The spread of Sharia is ‘’a legal responsibility which God has given us, within the context of one Nigeria to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia whole-heartedly and to educate non-Muslims.

What remains for muslims in Nigeria is for them to redouble their efforts,educate muslims on the need to promote the full implementation of sharia law” Buhari has made his advocacy for sharia clear, those who wish to vote him to power can either accept it or pretend that it does not matter, 
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/insurgency-buharis-call-full-sharia/

post=103994295:
Twitter made a statement in which they said they don't know President Buhari and which country he runs.

When you're blinded by hate and self imposed narrow mindedness, you will applaud someone who is clearly insulting you.
Most Nigerians who are sympathetic with Twitter today don't know how much of an insult this comment is to even them.
They see Buhari as the target here but there are two elements in this insult.
Twitter says they don't know President Buhari.
But they didn't stop there.
They also added that they don't know the country he is leading. In other words they don't know Nigeria.

Twitter is brazenly saying they don't know Africas most populous nation and the country with the highest concentration of black people in the world. Twitter is brazenly saying they don't know a country where over 11 billion dollars of their revenue comes from with over 40 million subscribers.


Some years ago Pastor Chris Oyakhilome chose to use twitter to communicate some prayer information to Christ Embassy members worldwide.
Within few weeks Pastor Chris broke the records of having the most amount of followers within such a short period.

In their arrogance, Twitter called Pastor Chris' twitter account to question and described the followership as bogus.

Simply put, Twitter believed that nobody from a place like Nigeria had enough clout to garner such followership within such a short time - a feat that no Hollywood star was able to achieve -.

Pastor Chris wasn't prepared for their drama, he pulled out of twitter and challenged his church tech people to design a platform that the church can use. That's what gave birth to Yookos.

Today Yookos is a formidable competitor with Twitter so much so that ex President Barack Obama acknowledged the giant strides made by the platform within such a short time after it was launched.

Eventually twitter confirmed Pastor Chris' account and "apologized" but it was too late.
Pastor Chris had moved his huge followership into Yookos.

Several years later Twitter is saying that they don't know the country that the same Pastor Chris comes from.
That's arrogance taken too far.

Any Nigerian who tolerates this insult is just a self hating sychophant.

Someone says you and your country don't matter and you're jubilating.
Is that not a serious sickness?

********************************************

On a lighter note,
*We heard someone telling his landlord that his rent money for the year is trapped in his Twitter account*

*The landlord too is now abusing Buhari

Dem [/b] : AKA [b]DA truth in da building!

Truth is not bitter, just that some people are bitter to the truth.

We Rise!

slowice:

Pile of rubb.ish

post=103994329:
Look at what this mental animal called Cownu caused innocentand hardworkingNigerianswith thus Twitter issue,
Cownu, your end will be terrible in this life, along with your brainwashed swines you told to go live in the forest.
All of you will die painful deaths asap for the deaths of all innocent girls you killed in cold blood.

Cownu's death will be brutal.
The mothers of all evil and wicked swines supporting him and cheering him on with al the vicious and merciless murders, will cry the same way our relative miracle nwobodo's mothe and the mothers of all innocent girls beheaded and murdered cried and refused to be consoled.
Painful deaths shall be all your portion in life, y'all cannot never escape the evil you have done, never!

We Rise.

Dymaco:

When will those killed in benue by herdsmen get justice?
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/06/07/suspected-fulani-herdsmen-invade-benue-community-kill-30/

Herdsmen have killed more than 200 people in last 2 months more than ipob

KillMNKnow:
morning bro. Your post are always long but that twit is photoshop. twitter never said they don't know who Buhari is

post=103994863:

Devil will punish both of the terrorists and evil you mentioned.
Nothing good will ever come close to them in life.
All evil terrorists, shekau wherever he is, cownu, Gumi will all end up in hell.
Along with anyone supporting terrorists in this nation.

@topic,
Twitter, do the needful.

post=103994939:

You decided to ignore our first image that confirms the same thing you just posted but decided to comment on the second image?
Okay bro.
About our short or long posts, we post for ourselves 99.9% of of time, (we post and move on immediately) and maybe some other sane, responsible, honest and hardworking Nigerians, not for everyone, we post however the spirits leads, take note of that part too.....okay?
We only decided to respond to you, cos you sounded sane and brilliant, for the other hypocritical wailing zombie, we rather ignore them..... as usual,
Cos we found out few years ago that "ignoring them kills them more!
Replying them will only be a waste of time and space.
Bunch of pained losers, two time losers with Atiku. Wailing everyday for 8 long years, cos their darling father lost an election, dem.go wail,, dem neck go long.

Twitter and FG finalizing issues rn.
God bless Nigeria.

KillMNKnow:
thanks saw it now