Biafra: Nigeria Accuses Twitter of Double Standards

Nigeria has accused the globally renowned social media firm, Twitter of double standards, because it deleted a President Muhammadu Buhari post which Twitter considered controversial.

Minister of Information and Culture for Nigeria , Lai Mohammed, leveled the accusation said it amounted to double standards on the part of Twitter.

The President’s twit was on the Biafran war of 1967-1970 during which many lives were lost.

An estimated three million Igbos are believed to have been claimed by the war.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday, Mohammed said Twitter had conveniently ignored inciting tweets by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and others.

He said Twitter demonstrated a similar bias  during the #ENDSARS protest during which government and private property were either looted or destroyed.

 “Twitter may have its own rules, they are not the universal rules. If Mr President, anywhere in the world, feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views.

“Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed”, Mohammed said, adding that Nigeria would not be fooled by Twitter’s double standards.

“Two, any organisation that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, to kill policemen, to attack correctional centres, to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr President does not have the right to express his dismay and anger about that?

“They are the ones guilty of double standards. I don’t see anywhere in the world where an organisation, a  person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria and will direct his members to attack the symbols of authority, the police, the military, especially when that organisation has been proscribed.

“By whatever name, you can’t justify giving orders to kill policemen or to kill anybody you do not agree with.”

Buhari had in series of tweet on Tuesday through his Twitter handle, @MBuhari tweeted, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”

READ ALSO: What Happened When Police Raided IPOB, ESN Hideout In Rivers

This was received by wide-spread criticism making Twitter to delete it, saying:  “This tweet violated the Twitter rules.”