Following the directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission, telecommunications companies in Nigeria including MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile have blocked access to the Twitter website.
Twitter users in Nigeria woke up on Saturday to realize they could not assess their various accounts.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday, the mobile network operators in the country under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, said they have commenced blocking access to Twitter.
The statement which was jointly signed by ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo; and ALTON Executive Secretary, Gbolahan Awonuga read “that we, The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria wish to confirm that our members have received formal instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the industry regulator to suspend access to Twitter.
“ALTON has conducted a robust assessment of the directive in accordance with internationally accepted principles.
“Based on national interest provisions in the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and within the licence terms under which the industry operates; our members have acted in compliance with the directives of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the industry regulator.
“We will continue to engage all the relevant authorities and stakeholders and will act as may be further directed by the NCC. We remain committed to supporting the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens.
“As an industry, we endorse the position of the United Nations that the rights held by people offline must also be protected online. This includes respecting and protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.”
FirstNews had reported that Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Friday announced the Federal Government decision to suspend Twitter operation in Nigeria.