Nigeria to lift ban on Twitter after two months of suspension

The Nigerian government had suspended Twitter on June 4 after it deleted a controversial tweet President Muhammadu Buhari made about a secessionist movement.

New Delhi:  Nigeria will soon lift its ban on Twitter, roughly two months after suspending the microblogging platform indefinitely in Africa's most populous nation, the nation’s information minister Lai Mohammed said. 

The Nigerian government had suspended the social media platform in the country on June 4 after it deleted a controversial tweet President Muhammadu Buhari made about a secessionist movement.

At the time of the ban, Mohammed had said that government officials took the step because the platform was being used for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence. He had also criticized Twitter for deleting President Buhari’s post. 

Twitter had cited that Buhari's deleted post was abusive, as the president threatened suspected separatist militants in the southeast. Also Read: Samsung launches Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, check specs, price, and top features

The Nigerian government had used Twitter as the platform to announce the blanket ban on the micro-blogging platform. At that time, several Twitter users in Nigeria had mocked the government for using the platform to announce the action. “You're using Twitter to suspend Twitter? Are you not mad?” one user tweeted in response. Also Read: Facebook Dating app gets spicier with audio chats, 2 other new features

- With inputs from Reuters