Micro-blogging site Twitter has been suspended indefinitely from operating in Nigeria, the government has announced.
The website is popular with journalists, other media figures and civic groups – and was a key source of information during the #EndSARS protests.
A statement from the Nigerian cited the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed said the government had acted because of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
The national broadcasting regulator, NBC, has also been told to start “the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria,” the statement adds.
In the protests’ wake, Mohammed called for “some form of regulation” on social media to combat “fake news”.
A spokesperson for Airtel, one of Nigeria’s largest mobile carriers, on Friday declined to say whether the company had received any government directives about the suspension.
MTN, the largest mobile carrier, did not respond to calls and a message seeking comment.
In summary, Twitter suspended in Nigeria ‘indefinitely’ — as the social media company removed the President of Nigeria, President Buhari’s post from the platform.