A lawyer, Dr Daniel Bwala, has said social media giant, Twitter, deleted a post by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), out of malice but failed to delete the inciting posts of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Bwala, who spoke in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, accused Twitter Chief Executive Officer, Jack Dorsey, of supporting a process that could have led to insurrection in Nigeria since last October during the #EndSARS protest.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the President, on Tuesday, condemned the attacks on police stations, prisons and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, especially in the South-East, warning that those supporting insurrection and violence in the country would be shocked.
Buhari had 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.”
The President’s tweet riled some persons who felt he was insensitive to have made an analogy of the civil war. His critics subsequently reported the tweet to Twitter and the microblogging site later deleted the post with a comment, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules”.
Commenting on the matter, Bwala, a member of the All Progressives Congress, argued that what the President said and what he tweeted was not against the people of the South-East but was in relation to criminal elements involved in the burning of government installations and the killings of uniformed men and private citizens of the country.
He said: “The President did not violate Twitter rules. Twitter deleted Buhari’s tweet out of malice. The founder or owner of Twitter is a known and interested party in Nigeria forgetting that you cannot be a jury and a judge in your own case.
“You will recall during the #EndSARS (protests), Jack Dorsey did not only support the #EndSARS protests but also retweeted the means of contributing to the funds used for the protests.
“That incident cannot be treated in isolation; it has never happened anywhere in the world where the owner of Twitter takes part in the protests of private citizens.
“So, tacitly or obviously, he had indicated expression of dissatisfaction towards the President.”
“Kanu has tweeted what has obviously created crisis that has led to so many loss of lives in Nigeria yet his tweets have not been removed. Do you need any further case to establish that the owner of Twitter is an interested party,” the lawyer asked.
Bwala also urged the Federal Government to launch an official complaint with the United States Congress to invite Twitter CEO to explain his recent role in the activities in Nigeria that are widely regarded as agitation for secession.
Twitter had in January banned former United States President, Donald Trump, for his inciting comments which led to the attack on the US Capitol.
Biafra: FG accuses Twitter of double standards
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, accused social media giant, Twitter, of double standards for deleting a controversial post by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the Biafran war of 1967-1970 during which many lives were lost.
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.
The minister said the social media giant also displayed the same bias during the #ENDSARS protest when government and private property were either looted or destroyed.
He said Twitter’s role is suspicious and Nigeria would not be fooled.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Following complaints, Twitter deleted the tweet, stating “This tweet violated the Twitter rules.”
