The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a Nigerian non-profit promoting socio-economic rights, transparency and accountability in Nigeria has urged MTN, Airtel, Glo, others to reverse the blocking of access to Twitter in Nigeria.
According to SERAP, the Nigerian government ordering service providers to block users of Twitters on their service platform is a violation of their business right, adding, it is illegal.
”This shutdown is without a legal basis, as it fails to meet the standards of necessity and network neutrality,” it said.
SERAP said: ”We call on MTN, Airtel, Glo, others to reverse the blocking of access to Twitter in Nigeria. This shutdown is without a legal basis, as it fails to meet the standards of necessity and network neutrality. We’ll hold them to account for complicity in right violations.”
Prominent cleric, Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God and spiritual father of Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, took to Twitter shortly after Malami threatened to arrest and prosecute whoever uses Twitter in Nigerian.
“No retreat. No Surrender”, Mr Adeboye tweeted, sharing a video of his message.
Like Mr Adeboye, the senior pastor of Omega Fire Ministry, Johnson Suleman, took to his Twitter page to question how it is possible to arrest people for using Twitter without monitoring them on the same platform.
“You want to arrest anyone still using Twitter?” Mr Suleman asked. “How did you access them if you are not secretly doing the same?. A deaf and dumb puts on ear-piece.!!”
Demola Olarenwaju, an active citizen, said “Malami’s order of prosecution for tweeting is a declaration of war on young people by pushing them into the trap of security agencies of state who now have one more illegal reason to extort, detain, harass or even kill anyone for the alleged ‘crime’ of using Twitter.”
Deji Adeyanju, an activist, questioned the legality of Mr Malami’s order. “Dear Nigerians, Don’t allow them to bully you. The goal is to bully you with their illiteracy. Nobody can arrest you for using Twitter. I hereby, volunteer myself for Malami’s experiment. Which police station should I report to for using Twitter?,” he said.
Segun Awosanya, another activist, said “Malami and his fellow travellers are arrogating powers that they don’t have unto themselves because of the dearth of leadership and gap in the responsibility of the state.”
