Victor Ezeja
Amnesty International has embarked on online campaigns, mobilising people to speak up and take action against the ban of access to the microblogging platform, Twitter in Nigeria.
The organisation condemned the government actions because such was a violation of the citizens’ right to freedom of expression. A copy of the message signed by Emmanuel Ayoola, an Amnesty International activist in Nigeria, was received by this reporter via email.
Part of the message reads: “These actions are clear violations of our rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“But you can make a difference,” the message continued, ” by calling on the Nigerian authorities to reverse this ban and reinstate Twitter in Nigeria again, an important space for civic debate and participation.”
Since the suspension of Twitter by the Nigerian government, various individuals, civil society and human rights advocacy groups both locally and internationally have condemned the action of the government, harping on how such violates the right to freedom of expression and press freedom in Nigeria.
Human rights organisations like Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and about 196 others, have filed suits against the Nigerian government at the community court of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), demanding suspension of the ban on the ground of violation of the rights of Twitter users in Nigeria.
The ECOWAS court session which held virtually through Zoom on Friday, July 9, merged all the suits brought by applicants before it over the Twitter suspension and adjourned till September 29, 2021, for hearing of the case to enable all the parties prepare for the trial.
The Nigerian government had on June 4 banned Twitter in Nigeria, two days after the microblogging platform deleted a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari. However, the presidency said the action was taken because of alleged contents threatening the corporate existence of the country.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
