Nigerian gov't accuses Twitter of double standards, supporting secessionists

ABUJA - The Nigerian government on Wednesday expressed doubts about Twitter's mission in the country, accusing the US technology company of double standards and supporting the secessionists in the west African country.

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed took a swipe at Twitter after it deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari who issued a warning to troublemakers in Nigeria.

"We have a country to rule, and we will do so to the best of our ability. Twitter's mission in Nigeria is very suspect, they have an agenda. The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very suspicious," Mohammed said.

In the deleted tweet, Buhari had made a reference to the country's 30-month civil war in 1967-1970, warning "those who wanted the government to fail" to desist from fomenting trouble.

"Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigeria 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 tweeted on Tuesday night.

Twitter deleted the president's post on Wednesday, following criticisms from some netizens.

However, Mohammed questioned the rule of Twitter.

"Twitter may have its own rules, it's not the universal rule. If Mr. President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concerned about a situation, he is free to express such views," he said.

The social networking service, he said, had overlooked the tweets of leading secessionists in Nigeria.

"When people were burning police stations and killing policemen in Nigeria during End SARS, a decentralised social movement, for Twitter, it was about the right to protest. But when a similar thing happened in the United States, it became insurrection," Mohammed said.