By Following the ban on Twitter of operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has directed for immediate prosecution of offenders.
Malami’s order was contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu.
According to the statement, he directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to swing into action and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government De-activation of opetations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“Malami directed the DPPF to liase 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,” it added.
Recall the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Friday, announced the indefinite suspension of the operations of microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria, citing “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
This development has since met with heavy criticisms from a number of Nigerians, saying it was an attempt to suppress freedom of speech. Some have resorted to the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access Twitter.
