Nigeria restricts Twitter just days after it deletes president's tweet

A day after Nigerian government's indefinite suspension of Twitter, telecom operators in the country restricted the social media platform. The suspension has come what are being called activities "capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence".

The move has been condemned by international human rights groups.

Twitter suspension in Nigeria came two days after the platform deleted a tweet from president Muhammadu Buhari for violating rules.

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"The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria," ministry of information and culture spokesman Segun Adeyemi said in a statement on Friday.

The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed its members had received formal instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator to suspend access to Twitter.

The association said in a statement that a robust assessment of the request had been made and that members had "acted in compliance".

"Network data show that access to the Twitter platform and backend servers is now restricted on leading networks MTN, Globacom, Airtel and 9mobile," the London-based internet monitor Netblocks wrote on its website Saturday.

'Repressive action'

Amnesty International on Friday condemned the moved. It called on Nigeria to "immediately reverse the unlawful suspension".

"This repressive action is a clear attempt to censor dissent & stifle the civic space," Human Rights Watch researcher Anietie Ewang said.

Twitter said that the move was "deeply concerning".

"We're investigating and will provide updates when we know more," the company said in a statement.

Nigeria in 2019 had announced it would tighten regulations on social media to fight fake news and disinformation, sparking concerns over freedom of expression.

Twitter on Wednesday deleted a remark on the president's account after he referred to the country's civil war in a warning about recent unrest in the southeast.

The 78-year-old president, a former general, referred to "those misbehaving" in recent violence in the southeast, where officials blame separatists for attacks on police and election offices.

"Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand," the president had posted on Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)