Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has directed the immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government’s ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria.
This was announced in a statement issued by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Saturday.
Spokesperson of the Ministry, Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said the AGF directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) to swing into immediate action and commence prosecution of the violators of the ban.
The statement said: “Malami 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 operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“Malami directed the DPPF to liase with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, National Communication Communication (NCC) and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter in the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while announcing the suspension, cited the persistent use of the platform for activities that are “capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
Following the announcement, telecommunications operators in Nigeria blocked Twitter leaving users in the country unable to access the microblogging website while some navigated the hurdle using Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
