Twitter ban meant to distract Nigerians from FG’s failure on security, Ortom tweets

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, says the suspension of Twitter’s operations is a ploy to distract Nigerians from the federal government’s failure to address insecurity.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Ortom said the ban is illegal, describing it as a suppression of the fundamental rights of Nigerians.

The Benue governor also said the government’s action is a gag on social media.

“The ban on Twitter is not only illegal but it is also an ill-advised move to divert the attention of Nigerians from the FG’s failure to tackle insecurity in parts of the country,” he tweeted.

“It amounts to suppression of fundamental human rights and gagging of social media.”

The ban on Twitter is not only illegal but it is also an ill-advised move to divert the attention of Nigerians from the FG’s failure to tackle insecurity in parts of the country. It amounts to suppression of fundamental human rights and gagging of social media.

— Samuel Ortom (@SamuelOrtom_) June 8, 2021

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Ortom’s tweet is coming one day after Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG), also expressed his opposition to the government’s action.

Last week, Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, had announced the suspension of the micro-blogging platform in the country.

The development followed the removal of a controversial tweet posted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Despite the restriction of access by telcos, based on the instruction of the government, many Nigerians have been able to access Twitter through the use of a virtual private network (VPN).