Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, has said the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, will ensure that Nigerians accessing Twitter, including the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, after the federal government’s ban are prosecuted.
Mohammed said this in an interview with BBC Africa Focus on Monday, when asked if Adeboye will be prosecuted for using the microblogging platform, despite justifying his insistence on using it with Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The minister emphasised in the interview that the persistent use of Twitter in Nigeria is undermining the country’s corporate existence.
“The government has suspended indefinitely, the operations of Twitter in Nigeria because of the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence and the government.
“Also directed the National Broadcasting Commission to immediately commence the process of licencing all social media operations in Nigeria”, he said.
According to him, Malami is in charge and has the final say on who or not to prosecute.
“The attorney-general has made it clear that if anyone violates the regulation, that such person will be prosecuted. I think it is the right of the attorney-general to decide who to prosecute,” he stated.
Adeboye had in a statement on his personal Twitter handle on Monday, insisted on using his account amid the suspension of Twitter’s operations in the country.
“The Redeemed Christian Church of God is domiciled in more than 170 Nations & Territories,” Adeboye had tweeted.
“The tweets here are in accordance to Article 19 of the UN universal declaration of Human Rights.”
Similarly, the general overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, Williams Kumuyi, in a statement hours after Adeboye made his stance known on the ban, said the church’s tweets are targeted at a global audience spread across five continents in over 100 nations.
“In view of the Twitter ban in Nigeria, please note that the content shared on this handle is targeted at a global audience in more than five continents and over 100 Nations and we share the content from any of these locations,” Mr Kumuyi said.
Some state governors, including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Ondo governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, among others, have continued to use Twitter despite the ban in the country.
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