Amnesty International has reacted to the lifting of the ban on Twitter, imposed by the Nigerian government seven months ago.
In a statement on Facebook, the human rights group accused the Muhammadu Buhari regime of using the ban to stifle the collective voice of Nigerians, a violation to their rights to freedom of expression.
“Amnesty International welcomes the lifting of Twitter ban by Nigerian authorities, after 7-months of depriving Nigerians from exercising their right to freedom of expression on a social media platform that facilitates dialogue and empowers everyone to communicate, hold useful debates and conversations, and demand accountability from the Nigerian authorities.”
Declaring the ban illegal and unnecessary, Amnesty cautioned leaders to, henceforth, “end all acts that violate rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and freedom of the press.
“The Twitter ban was illegal — in the first place — and an attack on the right to freedom of expression, including online, access to information and media freedom,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Mr Buhari’s aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, who went on a stammering spree on CNN when asked if he supported the ban, has rushed back to tweet his principal’s achievements since the ban got lifted.
However, he turned off his reply section so as to avoid backlash from citizens.