Nigeria has banned Twitter. The popular social media site can no longer be accessed by Nigerian citizens. This comes as a blow to people attempting to organize politically or get involved in activism. The ban was put in place when President Muhammadu Buhari's tweet was deleted. The president stated punishment would come to secessionists in the southeast of the country. Twitter deleted this post causing much anger in the government. The statement he wrote referenced the Nigerian Civil War and Biafra conflict. He claimed those resisting do not understand the past hardship Those Buhari claimed continue insurrection will be treated to language they can understand. The message was interpreted as an attempt to instigate violence. The tweet can be considered a threat. Social media platforms should not be involved in censorship of world leaders. Nor should a government have the power to ban a social media platform. Other sites such as Facebook could also be targeted. Twitter must have a clear policy in terms of bans or the deletion of tweets. Twitter has done censorship of its own, using disinformation as a justification. The irony is that the social media platform is being banned. Social media and the internet has keeps free speech alive, but there are intense efforts to increase online censorship. Even though Twitter is banned in Nigeria, there is a method to counter it. VPN (virtual private network ) can allow access by using other servers around the world. Nigerians will not fully cut off from the internet or social media platforms. The ban has also sparked condemnation form the Nigerian Bar Association. Legal action may be taken to reverse the ban.
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