The Attorney-General of the Federation(AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Saturday, has directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation to begin an immediate prosecution of individuals who violate the Twitter suspension order of the Federal Government.
This was contained in a statement titled ‘Twitter Ban: Malami orders prosecution of offenders’ issued by Malami’s spokesman, Umar Gwandu.
The Federal Government on Friday announced the indefinite suspension of the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
Following the directive of the FG, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) suspended interenet access to Twitter.
However, many Nigerians have opted for the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in order to bypass restrictions.
Reacting, Malami, in the statement directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation and Minister of Justice to immediately swing into action and prosecute any one who violate the order of the Federal Government.
The statement reads, “Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has directed the immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria.
“Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation 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 operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“Malami directed the DPPF to liaise with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, National Communication Communication and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay.
Meanwhile, Twitter, in its reaction has assured that it will immediately look into the ban, adding that access to open interest is an essential human right.
The microblogging site made this statement on its official public policy handle.
It tweeted, “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
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