Former US President Donald Trump has praised Nigeria\u2019s government for banning Twitter after it deleted President Muhammadu Buhari\u2019s post for breaching its rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho are they to dictate good and evil, if they themselves are evil?\u201d Mr Trump said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged other countries to ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing \u201cfree and open speech\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Trump was banned from both platforms after the US Capitol riot in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His posts before and after the raid were alleged to have encouraged violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Twitter made its ban permanent, Facebook announced last week that its suspension<\/a>, including of the former president\u2019s Instagram account, would last at least two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCongratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their president,\u201d he said in a statement released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggested that he should have banned Facebook while he was in office, but said the company\u2019s boss Mark Zuckerberg \u201ckept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Trump also backed unnamed rival social media platforms, saying they \u201cwill emerge and take hold\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 45th US president has struggled for attention since his access to Twitter and Facebook was blocked. A website he launched last month to get his word out was closed because of poor traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authorities in Nigeria accused the platform of threatening the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d by allowing \u201cmisinformation and fake news to spread.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ban followed the removal of President Buhari\u2019s tweet, which referred to Nigeria\u2019s civil war four decades ago, and included a veiled threat towards those backing a secessionist movement in the south-east of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His government said on Saturday the tweet\u2019s removal was \u201cdisappointing\u201d but was not the only reason for Twitter\u2019s \u201ctemporary\u201d suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Information Minister Lai Mohammed told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that the platform was being used by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group Ipob, to direct attacks against the government in the southeast region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is done consistently and wilfully without consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The professional body of Nigerian mobile phone operators \u2013 known as Alton \u2013 said its members had been told to block access to Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authorities have since said they will prosecute anyone found to have breached the ban, however, they have not yet announced any arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A group of human rights organisations says it has filed a case with a West African regional court against the Twitter ban<\/a>, saying it contravenes the right to the freedom of expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has also been condemned by some Western countries and the body representing Nigeria\u2019s lawyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Nigerians, including prominent politicians, news websites and churches, are continuing to tweet using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twitter said the ban was \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Nigeria\u2019s national broadcasting regulator, NBC, announced that it would begin \u201clicensing all internet streaming services and social media operations in Nigeria\u201d, a government statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n\n\n\n Send your news stories to\u00a0dannyboy744@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0and via WhatsApp on +233 266777777<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat did Trump\u2019s statement say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why did Nigeria ban Twitter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n