"It is Too Late to Disturb Twitter over Ban," Falana to Buhari

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has reacted to the decision of the Court of the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS COURT), to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from prosecuting defaulters of the ban placed on the microblogging platform, Twitter.

Recall that the Federal Government recently suspended the operation of Twitter in Nigeriafollowing allegations that it allows contents capable of threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.

Despite the ban, some Nigerians have continued to access the microblogging site using the Private Virtual Network, VPN.

Reacting to the violation of the order, the Federal Government had vowed to prosecute the defaulters, including prominent Nigerians who dared the government.

But the ECOWAS Court on Tuesday delivered a ruling restraining President Muhammadu Buhari administration from arresting or prosecuting Nigerians using Twitter.

Reacting to ECOWAS’ involvement in the matter, Falana said it was too late for FG to ‘rush back home and say Nigeria is independent.’

“In the 60s and 70s it was convenient for dictators in Africa to plead sovereignty that nobody should interfere with our internal affairs, but in these days and times, once countries have submitted part of their sovereignties to international bodies, in this case, the ECOWAS, Nigeria has ratified the protocols establishing the court as well as the supplementary project, it is therefore too late to rush back home and say we are independent, we are a sovereign nation,” Falana told Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.