The Commonwealth has disclosed that it has placed Nigeria on its watchlist over the suspension of Twitter.
TrackNews Online reports that the Muhammadu Buhari-led government had on June 4, 2021, ordered the indefinite suspension of Twitter.
The directive was sequel to the deletion of Buhari’s tweet, which according to Twitter violated the rules.
The Federal Government also threatened to prosecute citizens and broadcast stations who continue to tweet.
Reacting in a letter to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, said the body is monitoring repression of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, media gag and disregard for the rule of law.
Scotland’s letter to SERAP was signed by Roger Koranteng, Officer in Charge, Governance and Peace Directorate.
According to Scotland, all member countries have obligations to uphold freedom of expression as one of the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter.
“This underscores a commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights covenants and international instruments”, Scotland noted.
“The Commonwealth Secretary-General has been following the developments in Nigeria very closely and she is engaging the relevant stakeholders.
“Please be assured that the Secretariat will remain engaged with the authorities in Nigeria and encourage a speedy resolution of this matter.”
